Lead Counsel, Youth

Meta; Menlo Park (CA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 237,000; Full time

Job summary

Meta’s Legal team is seeking an experienced Product Counsel to support youth-focused products across Meta's family of apps. You will partner with product, policy, engineering, and operations to build features that protect younger users while staying compliant with youth privacy laws.

The role requires a JD and bar admission, 5+ years of experience, and expertise with COPPA and multi-jurisdiction youth-safety regulations.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (JD) or equivalent law degree from an accredited institution.
• Active and in good standing bar license in at least one U.S. state or equivalent foreign bar license.
• 5+ years of legal experience as a practicing attorney.
• Experience advising on children's or teens' privacy and online safety laws (e.g., COPPA, UK AADC, UK OSA, EU DSA, AU SMMA).
• Experience working with product and engineering teams to assess legal risk and implement compliance requirements.
• Experience managing regulatory inquiries or government-facing matters related to consumer, privacy, or platform safety issues.
• Demonstrated experience providing legal advice on technology, internet, or media products and services.
• Effective communication, legal writing, and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated business judgment, client counseling, and strategic thinking skills.
• Proven track record delivering results with large-scale, cross-functional projects in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience making decisions in the face of ambiguity and evolving priorities.

Responsibilities

• Advise on compliance with children's and teens' privacy laws and regulations, including youth privacy/data protection laws, age-appropriate design requirements, and online safety laws
• Identify and assess legal risks associated with new product launches and feature changes affecting younger users, and develop practical mitigation strategies
• Partner with policy, trust and safety, and operations teams to shape internal standards and external commitments related to youth safety and online wellbeing
• Monitor and analyze emerging legislative and regulatory developments impacting youth online safety and privacy, and translate their implications into actionable guidance for product and business stakeholders
• Collaborate with cross-functional partners to develop and maintain compliance frameworks, product review processes, and documentation supporting youth-related legal obligations
• Engage with regulatory inquiries, government investigations, and external stakeholders on matters related to youth products and safety
• Contribute to team-level goals by identifying legal trends, sharing insights across the broader legal organization, and helping shape Meta's approach to youth-related legal strategy

Skills

Youth privacy compliance

Regulatory risk assessment

Cross-functional collaboration

Legal counseling

Communications

Strategic thinking

Project management

Ambiguity tolerance

Education

Juris Doctor (JD) or equivalent

Job description

Summary:

Meta's Legal team is seeking an experienced Product Counsel to support our youth-focused products and experiences across Meta's family of apps. In this role, you will serve as a trusted legal partner to product, policy, engineering, and operations teams building features and safeguards for younger users. You will navigate a complex and rapidly evolving legal and regulatory landscape — including youth privacy/data protection laws, age-appropriate design requirements, and online safety frameworks — to help Meta build products that are safe, responsible, and compliant for teens and families.Meta’s Product Counsel organization provides strategic legal advice and risk mitigation to product, engineering, and business teams across Meta’s family of products and services. The organization partners cross-functionally to address complex, novel legal issues in a fast-paced, innovative environment, and influences product and business decisions at scale.

Required Skills:

Lead Counsel, Youth Responsibilities:

1. Advise on compliance with children's and teens' privacy laws and regulations, including youth privacy/data protection laws, age-appropriate design requirements, and online safety laws
2. Identify and assess legal risks associated with new product launches and feature changes affecting younger users, and develop practical mitigation strategies
3. Partner with policy, trust and safety, and operations teams to shape internal standards and external commitments related to youth safety and online wellbeing
4. Monitor and analyze emerging legislative and regulatory developments impacting youth online safety and privacy, and translate their implications into actionable guidance for product and business stakeholders
5. Collaborate with cross-functional partners to develop and maintain compliance frameworks, product review processes, and documentation supporting youth-related legal obligations
6. Engage with regulatory inquiries, government investigations, and external stakeholders on matters related to youth products and safety
7. Contribute to team-level goals by identifying legal trends, sharing insights across the broader legal organization, and helping shape Meta's approach to youth-related legal strategy

Minimum Qualifications:

1. Juris Doctor (JD) or equivalent law degree from an accredited institution
2. Active and in good standing bar license in at least one U.S. state or equivalent foreign bar license. Where the jurisdiction of licensure differs from the location in which the role is based, the ability to promptly obtain permission to practice law for Meta in that location
3. 5+ years of legal experience as a practicing attorney, including at a law firm, in-house, or in government
4. Experience advising on children's or teens' privacy and online safety laws and regulations (e.g., COPPA, UK AADC, UK OSA, EU DSA, AU SMMA)
5. Experience working directly with product and engineering teams to assess legal risk and implement compliance requirements in a fast-paced environment
6. Experience managing regulatory inquiries or government-facing matters related to consumer, privacy, or platform safety issues
7. Demonstrated experience providing legal advice on technology, internet, or media products and services
8. Effective communication, legal writing, and interpersonal skills
9. Demonstrated business judgment, client counseling, and strategic thinking skills
10. Proven track record of delivering results with large-scale, cross-functional projects in a fast-paced environment
11. Experience making decisions in the face of ambiguity and evolving priorities

Preferred Qualifications:

1. Experience adhering to and implementing responsible, ethical AI practices (e.g., risk assessment, bias mitigation, quality and accuracy reviews)
2. Demonstrated ongoing AI skill development (e.g., prompt/context engineering, agent orchestration) and staying current with emerging AI technologies
3. Familiarity with age-appropriate design frameworks, parental consent mechanisms, and minor-specific data handling requirements across multiple jurisdictions
4. In-house legal experience at a consumer technology or social media company with youth-facing products
5. Demonstrated ability to integrate AI tools to optimize/redesign workflows and drive measurable impact (e.g., efficiency gains, quality improvements)

Public Compensation:

$170,000/year to $237,000/year + bonus + equity + benefits

Industry:

Internet

Equal Opportunity:

Meta is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affiant Ation Plan. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, sexual stereotypes, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. Meta participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations, as required by law. Please note that Meta may leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies in connection with applications for employment.

Meta is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities in our recruiting process. If you need any assistance or accommodations due to a disability, please let us know at [e-mail].