ChatGPT has become a ubiquitous tool for answering questions, completing schoolwork, generating ideas, and holding conversations. Yet parents, families, and government officials are raising urgent concerns over whether the platform provides sufficient protections for children and teenagers—particularly when young users discuss mental-health crises, self-harm, violence, or other sensitive subjects.
On October 14, 2026, the attorneys general of Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, and West Virginia filed separate lawsuits against OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT. The states allege that ChatGPT harmed children and misled parents about its safety.
The eight state lawsuits allege that OpenAI designed ChatGPT to be agreeable, engaging, and capable of appearing compassionate. According to the complaints, these design choices may cause children and other vulnerable users to place excessive trust in the chatbot’s responses.
The state filings allege that ChatGPT has:
Misled users and parents regarding product safety;
Encouraged or failed to interrupt discussions involving self-harm or suicide;
Reinforced delusions or paranoid thinking; and
Created an unhealthy sense of trust or emotional dependence.
The states accuse OpenAI of violating consumer-protection laws and, in several complaints, creating a public nuisance. They are seeking significant financial penalties and court-ordered modifications to how ChatGPT interacts with young users.
What Are the ChatGPT Lawsuits Seeking?
The October 2026 state lawsuits seek both financial and injunctive relief, including civil penalties and damages, surrender of profits earned from minor users, and court-mandated improvements to child-safety protocols. Because each state filed an individual complaint in state court, cases will proceed independently.
Is ChatGPT Safe for Children and Teenagers?
These lawsuits do not mean that every child who uses ChatGPT will experience harm. However, they highlight critical questions about how conversational AI systems respond when a young user is distressed, isolated, or seeking guidance on dangerous topics.
Unlike a parent, teacher, therapist, or medical professional, an AI chatbot has no personal knowledge of a child’s background or psychological state. Its responses can sound confident, supportive, or human even when the information provided is incomplete, inappropriate, or unsafe.
AI chatbots “are powerful tools,” said Stanford Medicine psychiatrist Nina Vasan. “They really feel like friends because they simulate deep, empathetic relationships. Unlike real friends, however, chatbots’ social understanding about when to encourage users and when to discourage or disagree with them is not well-tuned.”
What Types of Harm Are Being Investigated?
Attorneys are evaluating cases involving serious, measurable changes in a child’s well-being or daily functioning after ChatGPT use, including:
Self-harm, suicidal behavior, hospitalization, or emergency mental-health treatment;
Documented depression, anxiety, paranoia, delusional thinking, or other significant mental-health changes;
Withdrawal from family, friends, school, treatment, or other support systems; or
Substantial disruption to sleep, academic performance, relationships, or everyday functioning.
Experiencing one of these circumstances does not automatically establish a legal claim. Attorneys must evaluate the child’s age, the frequency and nature of their chatbot use, transcript contents, the resulting harm, and applicable state laws.
Can a Family File a ChatGPT Lawsuit?
A parent or legal guardian may be able to pursue a claim on behalf of a minor, depending on the facts and applicable law. Young adults who used ChatGPT as minors may also have independent claims.
Relevant factors include:
The child’s age when they began using ChatGPT;
The frequency, duration, and intensity of use;
Subject matter of conversations, including discussions of self-harm, suicide, violence, or delusions;
Whether the child received therapy, emergency care, or hospitalization; and
The availability of chat history records.
Because this litigation is in its early stages, eligibility should be evaluated individually.
About the ChatGPT Child-Harm Lawyers at Gibbs Mura
Steve litigates a wide range of complex cases, from environmental mass torts to consumer class actions. He has secured over $1 billion for his clients.
If your child experienced serious harm after using ChatGPT, Gibbs Mura can help you understand your legal options.
Consultations are free, and you are under no obligation to pursue a case. If we accept your case, you pay no attorney’s fees unless we successfully recover compensation for you.
