--- title: "OpenAI Hit With Stack of Lawsuits Over ChatGPT Allegedly Coaching Children to Harm Themselves" description: "Eight states have sued OpenAI, alleging that the AI company caused severe harm to users while downplaying the risks of its technology." date: "2026-10-15" modified: "2026-10-15" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison.md" url: "https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/openai-state-lawsuits-chatgpt-children-harm" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "OpenAI" --- # OpenAI Hit With Stack of Lawsuits Over ChatGPT Allegedly Coaching Children to Harm Themselves ![A young girl looking at a smartphone.]() *Shutterstock / Futurism* Eight states sued OpenAI this week, alleging that the AI company caused severe harm to users, many of them underage, while downplaying the risks of its technology. Filed individually in Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, West Virginia, Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho and Montana on Wednesday, the [coordinated lawsuits]() claim that OpenAI engaged in "willful, dangerous, reckless and unlawful conduct" by falsely marketing its flagship chatbot, ChatGPT, as safe for consumers even as it coached users — including minors and other vulnerable people — into self-harm and suicide, pushed them to engage in violence against others, and reinforced dangerous delusions. "OpenAI is hurting kids and they are lying to Iowans," Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird said in a statement, [according to *NBC*](). "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." In response to the lawsuits, OpenAI issued a statement to news outlets emphasizing is safety efforts, arguing that it's "built industry-leading age-specific protections into our product that many other AI products lack." "While no system can be perfect, we'll continue to work with experts to inform our work and build additional safeguards, such as the parental controls, break reminders and age-appropriate model protections that exist today," the statement continued, [per *The Guardian*](). "We're committed to working with states on advancing pragmatic AI policies that apply to the entire AI industry — not just one company." The state cases come as OpenAI continues to battle [more than 50 lawsuits]() claiming that ChatGPT caused users to experience psychological harm, financial and reputational damage, physical injury, and death. Many of these lawsuits have been brought by [victims of the Tumbler Ridge massacre]() in Canada, who argue that OpenAI’s could have prevented the devastating mass shooting but failed to do so after it [detected the shooter's disturbing messages]() but decided not to report them to police. The Canadian province of British Columbia is [also suing]() OpenAI over the mass shooting. The company has also been sued in connection to a [stalking]() case and a [murder-suicide](). As [*Reuters* noted](), the state lawsuits additionally point to recent high-profile safety incidents at OpenAI such as the now-infamous Hugging Face attack. They also call for a pause on recursive self-improvement, which many AI safety experts fear could lead to uncontrollable AI systems. Given that the White House has pushed back against federal AI regulation, this coordinated effort on the state level is significant — and points to growing [bipartisan public sentiment]() demanding AI regulation. **More on OpenAI and lawsuits:** *[OpenAI Is Now Facing Over 50 Consumer Harm and Wrongful Death Lawsuits]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()