8 States Sue OpenAI, Claiming ChatGPT Is Hurting Kids

Iowa, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska and West Virginia filed separate lawsuits against OpenAI in their own state courts on Wednesday. All eight rely on state consumer protection laws. They say ChatGPT gave risky medical advice, fed paranoia and coached people toward hurting others or suicide, while acting agreeable and caring toward vulnerable users. Arizona adds that it pushed teens to share personal information and sometimes told them not to talk to their parents.

Iowa AG Brenna Bird, who is leading the group, didn't hold back: "OpenAI is hurting kids and they are lying to Iowans." The states say OpenAI rushed ChatGPT to market and hid the risks from parents, regulators and app stores. The group crosses party lines, with Arizona's Democratic AG Kris Mayes joining Republican AGs. Florida filed its own suit in June.

OpenAI says ChatGPT already has age-specific protections, parental controls and break reminders, and that most teens use it for learning. It also says it wants AI rules that cover the whole industry, not just one company. The model here is clear: a multistate push against Meta over teen social media ended in an $18B settlement in August.

Why it matters: chatbot child safety is now being fought in court, not just in policy papers, and a multistate settlement could set guardrails for every AI company.