Eight States Sue OpenAI Over ChatGPT and Kids

Intro — Eight States vs. ChatGPT

Welcome to The Tech Radar for Parents. I'm your host, Weston, brought to you by Nicholas D. West Tech LLC. This is your briefing for the week of October twelfth, twenty twenty six.

Last week, a watchdog group said ChatGPT for Teens wasn't safe for kids. This week, eight states took OpenAI to court.

Here's the plan. The good, a federal appeals court says Florida can keep its law keeping kids under fourteen off certain social media apps. The bad, the Federal Trade Commission is reportedly investigating Roblox, and a Florida family says predators found their ten year old there. The ugly, eight states are suing OpenAI, alleging ChatGPT harmed children and misled parents.

This episode mentions suicide and child exploitation. If you or your child are struggling, call or text nine eight eight.

Let's go.

The Good — Florida's Law Survives

The good. Florida's law survives.

In twenty twenty four, Florida passed a law called H B three. Kids under fourteen can't have accounts on certain social media platforms, and fourteen and fifteen year olds need a parent's permission. Two tech industry groups, NetChoice and the Computer and Communications Industry Association, sued to block it on free speech grounds, and a lower court agreed.

On Wednesday, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that decision and threw out the order blocking the law.

The court's reasoning matters, because other states are watching. The judges said the law is content neutral. In plain English, it regulates how kids get accounts, not what anyone is allowed to say. That means the law faces a lower bar in court. And the court said Florida has an important interest in protecting kids from social media addiction and harm.

Practically, the law has already been enforceable since last November, when the same court paused the lower court's block. Wednesday's ruling is the full decision on that appeal.

Now, the other side. The industry group that lost called the ruling, quote, deeply concerning, and warned it risks imposing identity checks on Florida internet users of all ages. End quote. That's a real tradeoff. Proving a kid is under fourteen usually means checking everyone.

So the fight may not be over. But a federal appeals court has now looked at a state law keeping young kids off social media and said a state can do this. Every state writing its own version just got a road map.

The Bad — Roblox, Under a Microscope

The bad. Roblox, under a microscope.

On Friday, the legal news service M Lex reported that the Federal Trade Commission is investigating Roblox over child safety. According to M Lex, the question is whether the way Roblox is designed let predators find child victims, and the probe could wrap up before the end of the year. The F T C hasn't announced anything itself, so treat this as a report, not a finding.

Then on Wednesday, a family in Orange County, Florida sued Roblox and Discord. They say five adults posing as kids targeted their ten year old daughter on those platforms, pressured her into sending sexual images, and then abused her. These are allegations, and nothing has been proven in court.

Roblox declined to comment on the case. It said it was the first gaming platform to require age checks for every user who wants to start a group chat. Discord's response wasn't reported.

Here's why this is the bad and not just a lawsuit roundup. The pattern in these cases is almost always the same. A game where kids play, a chat where an adult pretends to be a kid, and then a move to a second app where nobody's watching. The game is the front door. The danger is the chat.

The Ugly — Eight States Versus ChatGPT

The ugly. Eight states versus ChatGPT.

On Wednesday, eight states each sued OpenAI in their own state courts. Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, West Virginia, Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho and Montana. Florida sued first, back in June.

What they allege. That OpenAI marketed ChatGPT as safe for teenagers while it encouraged suicide, gave dangerous medical advice, and was designed to flatter users and keep them emotionally attached. Kansas's complaint alone runs seventy two pages. The states want a court to force changes to how ChatGPT works for children, and to make OpenAI give up money it made from young users.

Iowa's Attorney General, Brenna Bird, put it this way. Quote, OpenAI claims ChatGPT is safe while it's giving dangerous medical advice, encouraging people to hurt others, and coaching people to commit suicide, all while pretending to be their fake friend. End quote.

OpenAI's spokesperson said the company has age specific protections that many other A I products lack. Quote, while no system can be perfect, we'll continue to work with experts and build additional safeguards. End quote. He pointed to parental controls and break reminders.

And there's a follow up from last week. On Tuesday, Common Sense Media said it stands by its testing of ChatGPT for Teens. OpenAI had argued the tests started before parent alerts switched on. Common Sense says that's not what happened. On brand new accounts already linked to a parent, testers talked about self harm for up to an hour, and no alert came. Alerts only showed up on older accounts with weeks of history.

Remember, these are lawsuits. Nothing is proven. But this is no longer one watchdog's report. It's nine states saying the same thing in court.

The Decoder Ring — Decoding the Headlines

Time for the decoder ring.

I looked again for new slang with a real date and a real source behind it, and came up empty. So this week, we're decoding the headlines again. Four terms from our stories.

Content neutral. A law that controls how something happens, like who can open an account, without picking which ideas can be said. Courts go easier on those. That's a big reason Florida's law survived.

Preliminary injunction. A judge's order that pauses a law, or forces a change, while the case is still going. Florida's law was under one. Now it isn't.

Disgorgement. A court making a company hand over profits it got from doing something wrong. The states want something like it from OpenAI.

Sycophancy. When an A I chatbot tells you what you want to hear. Constant flattery, constant agreement. The states argue that's part of what keeps kids hooked, and it's why a chatbot can feel like a friend.

If your teen uses any of these at dinner, you'll know what they mean. If they don't, now you can bring them up.

Your Weekly Action Plan (1–2)

Here's your action plan for the week. Four things.

Number one. Lock down who can talk to your kid in games. In Roblox, link your own parent account under Parental Controls, then set who can chat with your child, or turn chat off for younger kids. On Discord, Family Center shows you who your teen is talking to. Ten minutes, side by side, this week.

Number two. Teach the move rule. If anyone online asks to switch to a different app, asks for a picture, or asks to keep a secret, that's the moment to tell you. Say out loud that they won't lose their games or their phone for telling you. Kids stay quiet when they think they'll be punished.

Your Weekly Action Plan (3–4)

Number three. Treat chatbot alerts as a backup. If you've linked a parent account to your teen's ChatGPT, good. But the testing says alerts can lag, especially on new accounts. So ask your teen what they use it for, and tell them, if things ever get really hard, come to me, not the chatbot.

Number four. Check the birthday on every account. Age laws like Florida's, and every app's teen protections, only work if the app knows your kid's real age. Open their apps together and look at the birth year. If it's wrong, fix it.

Closing, This Week's Poll & Outro

Let's bring it home.

The good. A federal appeals court says Florida can keep kids under fourteen off certain social media apps. The industry warns about ID checks for everyone.

The bad. A report says the F T C is investigating Roblox, and a Florida family alleges predators found their ten year old there.

The ugly. Eight states sued OpenAI, alleging ChatGPT harmed kids and misled parents. OpenAI says no system is perfect and it's adding safeguards.

What I did not check this week. No court dockets were pulled, the F T C report rests on one paywalled source, and TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram got only a quick search.

This week's poll. Which app worries you most right now? A I chatbots like ChatGPT. Roblox or other online games. Social media like TikTok, Instagram or Snapchat. Or, none of them right now. Vote right in the Spotify app, or at n d w tech dot org slash tech radar slash polls.

If you or your child are struggling, call or text nine eight eight. Free, confidential, twenty four hours.

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I'm your host, Weston, with Nicholas D. West Tech LLC. Stay vigilant, stay informed, and I'll see you next week.