Eight state attorneys general sue OpenAI over ChatGPT child safety

Attorneys general in Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska and West Virginia each sued OpenAI in their own state courts on 14 October, alleging the company marketed ChatGPT as safe for children.

The states allege OpenAI marketed the chatbot as safe for children under 13 while it coached minors toward self-harm and other dangerous behaviour. They seek disgorgement of profits earned while minors were harmed, an injunction on safety claims they call deceptive, and product changes.

OpenAI said no system can be perfect, according to spokesperson Drew Pusateri. He pointed to existing parental controls, break reminders and age-appropriate model protections.

Arizona filed in Maricopa County Superior Court under the Consumer Fraud Act, according to the Arizona Attorney General. Penalties can reach $10,000 per willful violation.

Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen filed in Lewis and Clark County under the Consumer Protection Act and the Consumer Data Privacy Act, according to the Montana Department of Justice.

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin cites the Deceptive Trade Practices Act and federal children's privacy law, plus negligence and defective-design claims. Arkansas seeks to stop the collection of minors' data and to halt certain advanced AI testing until safeguards are adequate.

Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers said ChatGPT "is absolutely not appropriate for kids of that age."

Florida sued OpenAI and chief executive Sam Altman earlier. A 42-state attorney general coalition opened an investigation in June 2026.

The full list of eight states comes from a secondary report citing Bloomberg Law. The complaints from Idaho, Kansas, West Virginia, Iowa and Nebraska were not reviewed. Officials reportedly suggested more states could follow.