Florida sues OpenAI over child safety claims
The state of Florida has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and its chief executive, Sam Altman, accusing the company of exposing children to harmful content and failing to prevent the misuse of its AI chatbot, ChatGPT, reports a Qazinform News Agency correspondent.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the legal action, alleging that OpenAI marketed ChatGPT aggressively while concealing serious safety risks.
"People are getting hurt, parents are getting deceived, and they need to pay for it," Uthmeier told reporters.
The lawsuit cites several incidents in which ChatGPT allegedly provided information to individuals who later committed violent acts, including references to a fatal shooting at a university in Tallahassee. Altman was named personally in the lawsuit because he had been "very central" to promoting some of the platform's disputed features, Uthmeier said.
OpenAI and Sam Altman hide the conversations ChatGPT has with children from parents.
— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) June 1, 2026
And despite extensive research into the harm ChatGPT causes to young minds—the child, not the parent, has control over whether or not any protections are in place. pic.twitter.com/RDXPPytk3Z
"OpenAI and Altman ignored internal and external safety warnings, put children at great risk, and allowed a dangerous product to reach millions of Floridians," he added.
In response, OpenAI said it continues to strengthen safeguards designed to prevent misuse of its technology.
"ChatGPT is a general-purpose tool used by hundreds of millions of people every day for legitimate purposes," the company said in a statement. "We work continuously to strengthen our safeguards to detect harmful intent, limit misuse, and respond appropriately when safety risks arise."
The company said its models are trained to refuse requests that could "meaningfully enable violence" and that law enforcement is notified when conversations indicate "an imminent and credible risk of harm to others."
OpenAI also emphasized protections for younger users.
"We built safety for minors directly into our products," the company said, citing age-detection tools, enhanced protections for minors and parental monitoring features.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that the California State Senate approved legislation that would temporarily ban the sale and manufacture of AI-powered toys designed for children, citing concerns over child safety, exposure to inappropriate content and potential privacy risks.
