Two major lawsuits accusing Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, of harming children have begun this week in the US. The first case, starting Monday in New Mexico, says Meta did not protect children from sexually explicit material on its platforms. The second case, opening later this week in California, claims Meta and YouTube, owned by Google, made their platforms addicting to children to increase profits. In New Mexico, lawyer Donald Migliori argued, "Meta put profits over safety," adding, "Meta clearly knew that youth safety was not its corporate priority… that youth safety was less important than growth and engagement." Prosecutors will show evidence of how Meta's algorithms encouraged addiction and created a "breeding ground" for predators targeting children. Emails revealed during the case showed Meta staff raising concerns over chatbots designed for companionship, including sexual and romantic interactions, which were launched in early 2024. Meta added parental controls to these chatbots in October 2025. The California case centers on a 19-year-old, identified as KGM, who claims addiction to social media worsened her depression and suicidal thoughts. The lawsuit states, "Borrowing heavily from the behavioral and neurobiological techniques used by slot machines and exploited by the cigarette industry," the defendants purposely made their platforms highly engaging to boost ad revenue. Executives including Mark Zuckerberg are expected to testify at this trial lasting six to eight weeks. Meta denies the claims, stating in a blog post that blaming social media oversimplifies teen mental health issues influenced by many factors. A Meta spokesperson said the company “strongly disagrees with the allegations” and is confident it will show its commitment to young users. Google’s spokesperson also said the claims against YouTube are "simply not true". Experts say the outcome could reshape social media’s future. Eric Goldman, a law professor, warned the cases could result in huge financial damage and reduce the companies’ control over their platforms. This legal approach might also affect video games and AI content creators. Meanwhile, Meta’s stock rose by over 3 percent in midday trading on Wall Street as the trials began.