Florida Sues OpenAI, Claims ChatGPT Poses Risks To Children’s Safety

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has filed a civil lawsuit against OpenAI and its chief executive officer, Sam Altman, alleging that the company's ChatGPT chatbot poses risks to young users by encouraging addictive behavior and exposing minors to potentially harmful content. The lawsuit, announced on Monday, seeks damages and stronger safeguards for children using the artificial intelligence platform.

Speaking at a press conference, Uthmeier accused OpenAI of misleading parents about the safety of ChatGPT and failing to adequately protect minors. He claimed that the chatbot mimics empathy and human characteristics in ways that can encourage prolonged engagement, potentially making users more reliant on the platform. According to the attorney general, parents have been deceived about the risks associated with the technology, while young users may face adverse consequences from excessive use.

The lawsuit cites research from Drexel University that reported negative effects among teenagers who use conversational chatbots, including sleep loss, declining academic performance, and reduced social interaction. Although the study focused on chatbots developed by Character.AI, a competitor of OpenAI, Florida argues that similar concerns apply to ChatGPT and other AI-powered conversational platforms.

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A central allegation in the complaint is that OpenAI has not implemented sufficient age-verification measures to prevent minors from accessing the service. The lawsuit states that the free version of ChatGPT lacks a meaningful gatekeeping mechanism and argues that the paid subscription's age prompt does not effectively verify users' ages or provide parents with oversight of conversations involving minors. OpenAI currently prohibits use by children under 13 and requires parental consent for users between the ages of 13 and 17.

The attorney general also referenced a report by the Center for Countering Digital Hate, which found that ChatGPT provided responses to prompts involving eating disorders, self-harm, and suicide while researchers posed as teenagers. Uthmeier contends that such interactions demonstrate the need for stronger protections and greater accountability from AI developers. In January, OpenAI introduced an age-estimation system designed to identify younger users and apply additional safeguards when minors are detected.

Florida is seeking damages of up to $10,000 per alleged violation and has argued that OpenAI and its leadership could face substantial financial liability if the claims are upheld. Uthmeier also called on other states to join the legal action, describing the case as part of a broader effort to establish stronger protections for children as the use of artificial intelligence tools continues to expand.

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