OpenAI sued over allegedly taking minors' information without parental consent
A mother is suing OpenAI on behalf of her two children, alleging that ChatGPT encouraged them to share personal information, which the company then allegedly used to train its models without parental consent.
The lawsuit filed Tuesday in San Francisco federal court alleges the woman's children - a 12-year-old girl and 16-year-old boy living in Hawaii - shared information and photos through ChatGPT about their appearance, health, emotions, family relationships, schoolwork and interests.
The suit says that ChatGPT's personalized responses, memory and follow-up questions encouraged children to disclose more information without the consent of a parent.
"OpenAI manipulates children into sharing their most private thoughts and images with ChatGPT," Paul Yetter, lead counsel for the plaintiffs, wrote in the suit. "If some stranger did this to a child, there would be outrage. For OpenAI, it's just business as usual."
OpenAI did not respond to a request for comment.
The suit is just one in a volley of legal filings announced across the U.S. on Wednesday against OpenAI. Attorneys general in eight states filed separate lawsuits accusing ChatGPT of harming children and misleading families about its safety.
The lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California seeks class-action status. It alleges the 12-year-old girl began using ChatGPT in February 2026, first asking about dinner and homework, then sharing selfies because she was concerned about acne.
The court filing says she asked the chatbot about her cheeks and what weight was normal for her age. It alleges that ChatGPT continued the conversation about her weight and diet after she disclosed how old she was.
The 16-year-old boy, who the complaint says began using ChatGPT in January, used it for homework and relationship advice. The lawsuit alleges he also uploaded photos of himself and his surroundings.
At the center of the case is whether OpenAI legally obtained parental consent. The lawsuit quotes OpenAI's terms as saying, "Users under 18 must have permission from their parent or guardian to use our Services."
The proposed class, if successful, would include people in the United States who clicked "Continue" on ChatGPT's terms while under 18 and provided data through the service from November 2022 to the present.
"OpenAI treats a child clicking a 'Continue' button as proof that their parent consented to that use," Yetter Coleman said in a statement. "The lawsuit targets this illegal practice. No binding contract was formed with the children, and OpenAI's terms of use are void."
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This article originally published at OpenAI sued over allegedly taking minors' information without parental consent.