Florida Sues OpenAI Over Risks to Minors’ Safety

OpenAI’s ChatGPT has faced allegations that its design prioritizes engagement and retention, potentially weakening safeguards for suicidal ideation, risks of violence and minors. The issue involves responsibilities related to consumer protection, health and personal-data handling, and could also affect OpenAI’s planned initial public offering. It has therefore escalated from individual lawsuits into a multistate regulatory matter.

In June 2026, the New York Attorney General’s Office led a coalition of 42 U.S. states in issuing subpoenas to OpenAI for documents on advertising, user retention, model sycophancy, health data and policies covering children and teenagers. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier sued OpenAI and Chief Executive Sam Altman on June 1. Market estimates put the company’s potential IPO valuation at about $1 trillion.

A California woman filed the proposed class action against OpenAI on behalf of users. The central question is whether ChatGPT transmitted conversation data without users’ knowledge through embedded Meta and Google tracking tools on its webpages. Because the content may include highly sensitive health and financial consultations, the case is seen as the first major lawsuit to directly challenge an AI chatbot’s data-handling and informed-consent obligations.

As of July 20, 2026, the plaintiff alleged that OpenAI allowed the tracking tools to access and transmit content entered by ChatGPT users without authorization, with Meta and Google among the recipients. The lawsuit claims OpenAI could face more than $5 million in damages. However, the available information does not provide the filing date, court docket number or a formal response from OpenAI, and the allegations remain subject to judicial review.