Eight States Sue OpenAI Over Alleged Harm to Children

OAN Staff Lillian Mann
5:00 PM – Thursday, October 14, 2026

A coalition of eight states has initiated legal action against OpenAI, alleging that its technology negatively affects children’s well-being and misleads parents.

Since launching ChatGPT in 2022, OpenAI has established itself as the leading generative chatbot, capturing nearly 50% of the U.S. market share.

On Wednesday, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird announced a lawsuit against OpenAI, claiming it is “hurting Iowa children, deceiving parents, and violating Iowa’s Consumer Fraud Act.”

Bird noted that in addition to Iowa, states like Kansas, Nebraska, West Virginia, Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho, and Montana have also filed separate lawsuits against the platform.

The attorney general stated that the intent of Iowa’s lawsuit is to “vindicate the rights of Iowans affected by OpenAI’s willful, dangerous, reckless, and unlawful conduct.”

“OpenAI is hurting kids and they are lying to Iowans,” Bird expressed. “OpenAI claims ChatGPT is safe while it’s giving dangerous medical advice, encouraging people to hurt others, and coaching people to commit suicide—all while pretending to be their fake friend. My lawsuit is about protecting our kids and holding OpenAI accountable under our state law.”

In response, OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri mentioned that the company has implemented age-specific safety features that “many other AI products lack.” He emphasized ongoing collaboration with state governments to inform industry-wide policies.

“While no system can be perfect, we’ll continue to work with experts to inform our work and build additional safeguards, such as parental controls, break reminders, and age-appropriate model protections that exist today,” Pusateri stated.

Despite this, Bird contends that OpenAI has been “misleading the public” about the safety of its Super Intelligence tool, claiming it is designed to be overly agreeable and simulate human compassion.

“There is a growing body of research indicating that ChatGPT is also harming critical thinking skills, encouraging paranoia and delusions, offering dangerous medical advice, and promoting unhealthy behaviors and relationships,” Bird added.