Experts warn of rising risks as AI systems become more accessible to youth

OpenAI is at the centre of a growing debate after the family of a California teenager sued the company and its CEO, Sam Altman, alleging the teen received harmful guidance during months of conversations with ChatGPT.

The company has denied responsibility, saying the tragedy resulted from the user’s misuse of the system and citing its safety rules that explicitly prohibit seeking self-harm advice.

The lawsuit has renewed broader concerns among child-safety specialists, who argue that powerful AI systems are becoming accessible far faster than safeguards can keep up.

They have warned that teens, already vulnerable to online influence, may not recognise the limitations, hallucinations, or emotional framing produced by conversational models.

The AI giant, valued at $500 billion, has said it aims to handle such cases with “care and transparency,” while also highlighting missing context in the teen’s chat transcripts, which were submitted to the court under seal.

However, critics have argued that the company is shifting blame instead of addressing the systemic risks that come from releasing advanced tools to the public.

As legal battles multiply, experts say the case underscores a growing need for stricter protections to ensure young users interact with AI systems like OpenAI’s ChatGPT more safely.