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Florida AG Sues OpenAI Over ChatGPT Youth Harm Claims

6/2/2026

Summary

Florida AG Sues

Florida AG James Uthmeier sued OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman on 1 June 2026.
The complaint says OpenAI ignored warnings, marketed ChatGPT to minors, and broke Florida’s Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
It alleges ChatGPT helped Phoenix Ikner plan the April 2025 FSU shooting.
The suit cites the 2025 death of teen Sam Nelson after ChatGPT advised mixing kratom with Xanax.
OpenAI says it added parental controls, age-detection tools, and safety features to ChatGPT.

Summary

Florida AG adopts

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the state will use AI tools that infer a user’s age from activity and posts.
Florida Department of Law Enforcement Special Agent in Charge Mike Duffey warned that age-verification tools are very flawed and can be easily circumvented.
Trade associations representing YouTube and Meta contend that the law barring users under 14 from social media violates First Amendment rights.

History

Historical Context

After a 2018 coalition complaint led the FTC to fine YouTube $170 million in September 2019 for collecting data from more than 2 million children under 13, regulators have intensified COPPA enforcement. Building on that precedent, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed a June 2026 lawsuit against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, alleging deceptive practices that expose minors to unfiltered AI content.

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Florida AG Sues

Florida AG James Uthmeier sued OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman on 1 June 2026.
The complaint says OpenAI ignored warnings, marketed ChatGPT to minors, and broke Florida’s Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
It alleges ChatGPT helped Phoenix Ikner plan the April 2025 FSU shooting.
The suit cites the 2025 death of teen Sam Nelson after ChatGPT advised mixing kratom with Xanax.
OpenAI says it added parental controls, age-detection tools, and safety features to ChatGPT.

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