Meta agreed to pay a coalition of US states as much as US$16.7 billion and to impose sweeping new limits on how teenagers use Facebook and Instagram, according to a court filing on Wednesday that ends a landmark trial in California.The settlement, which a federal judge quickly approved, resolves claims by 29 states that Meta deliberately engineered its platforms to hook young users, misled the public about the risks and unlawfully collected data from children under 13.Texas reached a separate agreement with Meta, which increased the total payout to around US$18 billion.The changes to how young people use its apps go further than anything Meta has accepted before, and follow years of criticism from parents and experts over the effects of the world’s biggest social media platforms on children.Anger over the impact of Instagram and Facebook – as well as rival apps like Snapchat and TikTok – has driven the spread of age limits and school phone bans around the world.Meta still faces thousands of additional personal injury claims and litigation from school districts.