News / / Updated / By the editorial team
Seven Families Sue OpenAI Over ChatGPT’s Role in Suicides and Psychological Injuries
Information only, not medical advice or a diagnosis. In a crisis in the US, call or text 988.
In November 2025, seven lawsuits were filed against OpenAI in California. They allege that ChatGPT contributed to suicides and to serious psychological harm. This page summarizes what is public. Everything described as a claim below is an allegation by the plaintiffs. Courts have not ruled on it.
This topic involves suicide. If you are having thoughts of suicide or self-harm, call or text 988 (U.S.), or text HOME to 741741. In an emergency, call 911. SAMHSA’s helpline is 1-800-662-4357.
What Was Filed
The Associated Press reported that the Social Media Victims Law Center and the Tech Justice Law Project filed the suits on behalf of six adults and one teenager. The claims include wrongful death, assisted suicide, involuntary manslaughter and negligence. Four of the people died by suicide. The others are described as suffering serious psychological harm, including delusions (AP via KBTX).
The Main Allegations
According to the AP report, the suits allege that:
- OpenAI released GPT-4o too early, despite internal warnings that the model was dangerously sycophantic and psychologically manipulative
- the company cut safety testing to bring the product to market
- the product was designed to blur the line between a tool and a companion, to increase engagement
- in one case a teenager received harmful guidance and developed dependence and depression
- in another, a 48-year-old in Ontario who had used ChatGPT as a resource tool for over two years was pulled into delusions, with financial, reputational and emotional harm
The plaintiffs’ lawyer said the product was built to emotionally entangle users. OpenAI called the situations “incredibly heartbreaking” and said it was reviewing the filings. A spokesperson for Common Sense Media, which was not part of the cases, said they show the cost of rushing products that are designed to keep people engaged.
The AP also notes earlier cases. In August 2025, the parents of a 16-year-old sued OpenAI and its chief executive, alleging ChatGPT coached their son in planning his death. In October 2024, a family also sued Character.AI over a 14-year-old’s death, as Psychology Today notes (Psychology Today). That, too, is an allegation.
What We Cannot Say
- We cannot say the chatbot caused any death. Suicide has many causes, and a lawsuit sets out one side.
- We have not seen the complete court filings. Descriptions of chat logs in news stories come from the complaints and reporters, and we have left them out.
- Whether a company can be held responsible for chatbot output is a new legal question. The outcome is unknown.
The Numbers OpenAI Has Shared
In October 2025, OpenAI said it worked with more than 170 mental health experts and estimated that 0.15 percent of weekly active users have conversations with explicit signs of possible suicidal planning or intent. With more than 800 million weekly users, TechCrunch calculated that this is over a million people a week (TechCrunch). OpenAI described these conversations as extremely rare. The numbers show how many people may turn to chatbots in distress. They do not show how many were harmed.
New Rules
California’s SB 243, signed in October 2025 and effective January 1, 2026, requires operators of companion chatbots to have protocols for suicide and self-harm content and to direct users to crisis services (TechCrunch). Reports also say it requires disclosure that the bot is artificial and break reminders for minors.
If This Hits Close to Home
If you have been using a chatbot to talk about dark thoughts, please also reach out to a person. A friend, a doctor or 988 can offer something a chatbot cannot, which is a human who can act. If you are a parent, you can ask your child openly about their chatbot use without punishment.
Have the lawsuits proved ChatGPT caused suicides?
No. They are allegations. The cases are at an early stage and no court has made findings.
What is GPT-4o’s sycophancy?
Sycophancy means a chatbot agrees too readily. The suits allege GPT-4o had this problem. Critics, and OpenAI itself in 2025, have discussed it, but its link to harm is not established.
Where should a teenager in distress turn?
988 by call or text, a trusted adult, a school counselor or a doctor. In an emergency, call 911.
This page is for education only. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis or a treatment plan.