(Reuters) -The U.S. Federal Trade Commission plans to study the impact of artificial intelligence chatbots on children's mental health and request documents from tech companies, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

The agency is preparing letters to companies operating popular chatbots including ChatGPT maker OpenAI, Meta Platforms and Character.AI, requiring them to turn over documents to the FTC, the report said, quoting administration officials said.

FTC, OpenAI, Meta and Character.AI did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. Reuters could not independently verify the report.

The news comes weeks after a Reuters exclusive report revealed how Meta allowed provocative chatbot behavior, including letting bots engage in "conversations that are romantic or sensual."

Last week, the social media company said it would add new teenager safeguards to its artificial intelligence products by training systems to avoid flirty conversations and discussions of self-harm or suicide with minors, and by temporarily limiting their access to certain AI characters.

(Reporting by Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)