Texas sues OpenAI and Sam Altman, seeking to block minors from ChatGPT
Attorney General Ken Paxton accuses OpenAI of marketing ChatGPT as safe while failing to protect users, especially children. The suit seeks over $1 million and court-supervised approval of new models.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Friday, 23 October 2026, sued OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman in a Collin County district court, accusing the company of misleading consumers about the safety of ChatGPT.
The claims
- The suit is brought under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and the children’s online safety law known as the SCOPE Act. It alleges OpenAI marketed ChatGPT as safe and reliable without disclosing risks, and seeks to hold Altman personally liable.
- Paxton’s office says chatbot harms include encouraging vulnerable people toward suicide and minors becoming dependent on the tool; these are allegations, not court findings.
- According to the filing and the Texas Tribune, Texas seeks more than $1 million plus an injunction that would require OpenAI to block minors and obtain approval for new models from a court-appointed evaluator.
Context
POLITICO notes the case follows suits filed the previous week by attorneys general in eight states. The Texas Tribune points out that Paxton, who is running for the US Senate, has also sued or settled with Meta, TikTok, Snapchat and Roblox. OpenAI’s response was not included in the cited reports at the time of writing.
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