Texas is asking a court to block minors from using ChatGPT and require outside approval before OpenAI releases new models in the state. The lawsuit names both OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman. A judge has not imposed either restriction.
Attorney General Ken Paxton filed the case in Collin County district court on October 23, 2026, according to The Texas Tribune’s reporting. Texas alleges that OpenAI misrepresented ChatGPT’s safety and reliability while failing to adequately protect consumers, particularly children.
The filing does not establish that ChatGPT caused the harms Texas describes. The state is seeking an order that reaches beyond safety messaging to govern who can use the product and how new models become available.
Texas Wants Restrictions on Access and Model Releases
The requested injunction would require OpenAI to block minors’ access to its product and obtain approval from a court-appointed third-party evaluator before releasing new models in Texas, the Tribune reports.
The two requests would affect different parts of OpenAI’s operations. An access restriction would determine who could use ChatGPT; an evaluation requirement would create an outside approval step for model releases. Both go beyond requiring the company to rewrite a warning or qualify a promotional statement.
For Texas users, the proposed access block could have the more immediate consequence. If granted in the form reported, it would restrict minors’ access. The available excerpts do not establish the precise age threshold, exceptions or enforcement mechanism.
Model availability in Texas could also become conditional on an evaluator’s decision, introducing a court-supervised requirement separate from whatever internal release process OpenAI uses.
Texas is therefore seeking operational changes alongside its allegations of misleading marketing. The terms and reach of any eventual order remain unresolved, and the filing itself does not change ChatGPT availability.
