Meta has agreed to pay as much as $17.1 billion to settle claims from 29 states that the company designed Facebook and Instagram to addict children and misled the public about the safety of its platforms, according to court papers disclosed Wednesday, averting one of the highest-profile tests yet of allegations that social media companies have harmed young users.

The settlement resolves claims brought by 29 states and comes just as the underlying trial had begun proceedings in federal court, in a case that could have seen Meta Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg called to testify had it gone forward. The states had accused Meta of violating consumer-protection laws and improperly collecting children's personal data without parental consent, allegations Meta has denied while maintaining it has worked to protect children on its platforms.

Under the terms of the agreement, Meta will pay at least $12.1 billion over 10 years, according to the District of Columbia attorney general's office. The company could be required to pay an additional $5 billion, bringing the total potential settlement to $17.1 billion, contingent on whether other major social media companies agree to adopt comparable child-safety measures of their own.

Meta framed the agreement as an extension of existing efforts to protect younger users on its platforms. "Ensuring teens have a safe and productive experience on our platforms is an absolute imperative for Meta," the company said in a statement. "We want to get this right for parents and teens, and that's why we partnered with state attorneys general to set a new industry standard."

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