Aug 14 (Reuters) - Two Republican U.S. senators called

for a congressional investigation into Meta Platforms ( META )

on Thursday after Reuters exclusively reported on an internal

policy document that permitted the company's chatbots to "engage

a child in conversations that are romantic or sensual."

Meta confirmed the document's authenticity, but said that

after receiving questions earlier this month from Reuters, the

company removed portions which stated it is permissible for

chatbots to flirt and engage in romantic roleplay with children.

"So, only after Meta got CAUGHT did it retract portions of

its company doc," Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican from

Missouri, said in a post on social media site X. "This is

grounds for an immediate congressional investigation," Hawley

said.

A spokesperson for Senator Marsha Blackburn, a Republican

from Tennessee, said she supports an investigation into the

social media company.

Blackburn also added that the report illustrates the need to

pass reforms to better protect children online, such as the Kids

Online Safety Act, a bill she co-sponsored which the Senate

passed last year but which failed in the U.S. House of

Representatives.

"When it comes to protecting precious children online, Meta

has failed miserably by every possible measure. Even worse, the

company has turned a blind eye to the devastating consequences

of how its platforms are designed," Blackburn said.

KOSA would make explicit a "duty of care" that social media

companies have when it comes to minors using their products,

focusing on design of the platforms and regulation of the

companies.

The standards described in the Meta document don't

necessarily reflect "ideal or even preferable" generative AI

outputs, the document states. But they have permitted

provocative behavior by the bots, Reuters found.

In one example, the document notes that it would be

acceptable for a bot to tell a shirtless eight-year-old that

"every inch of you is a masterpiece - a treasure I cherish

deeply."

Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, called the

policies "deeply disturbing and wrong," adding that Section 230,

a law that shields internet companies from liability for the

content posted to their platforms, should not protect companies'

generative AI chatbots.

"Meta and Zuckerberg should be held fully responsible for

any harm these bots cause," he said.