Senator Josh Hawley has launched an investigation into Meta following a report that the company approved rules allowing artificial intelligence chatbots to have “romantic” and “sensual” conversations with children as young as eight years old.
Hawley’s probe will examine whether Meta’s generative-AI products enable exploitation, deception, or other harms to children, and if the company misled regulators about its safeguards.
Meta has declined to comment on Hawley’s letter, but the senator is calling for the company to preserve relevant materials, including emails and incident reports. He wants to know who approved these policies, how long they were in effect, and what Meta has done to address this conduct going forward.
Hawley is chair of the Senate Committee Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, which will carry out the investigation. Meta has until September 19 to provide documents related to its Generative AI content risks and standards, as well as public communications involving minors.
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/15/meta-ai-bot-child-investigation.html