Meta bans ByteDance and TikTok ads on its platforms in the US and other countries

Meta bans TikTok ads across its platforms

Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, has banned advertisements from ByteDance, the Chinese parent of TikTok, on its platforms in the United States and several other countries, a company spokesperson said on Thursday.

The ban takes effect immediately in the US, Canada, Egypt, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand and Vietnam. It also applies to third-party advertisers running campaigns that link to TikTok and other ByteDance properties in those countries, Meta said.

Escalation in a long running rivalry

The move marks an escalation in the rivalry between Meta and ByteDance, whose video sharing app TikTok has emerged as one of Meta's most formidable competitors for user engagement, creators and advertising dollars.

"We don't have to run ads from a competitor whose goal is to pull people off our apps," Meta said in a statement. "Declining promotional services to a competitor is a normal business practice across industries. We will continue to compete on product quality and user experience."

No immediate response from ByteDance

TikTok and ByteDance did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment on Meta's move. TikTok's website shows that it does not support links that open or log users into other social media apps, though users can still add links to their profiles that direct people to those platforms' websites.

Bloomberg News first reported Meta's ban earlier on Thursday.

Teen safety backdrop

The ad ban comes amid a broader fight over teen safety on social platforms. Meta has been urging TikTok and YouTube to follow steps it agreed to take in August after a settlement of up to $18 billion with US states over social media harms to children. Under that agreement, Meta committed to daily usage limits and nighttime usage restrictions for children on Facebook and Instagram, along with enhanced measures to prevent children from accessing age restricted content.

TikTok has not publicly commented on Meta's campaign, but it reached a settlement with Alabama in September that requires new usage limits and enhanced age verification measures for users in the state, resolving claims that it endangered children and misled consumers about its safety. TikTok operates in the US as a majority American owned joint venture following a deal aimed at safeguarding US user data and averting a US ban on an app used by more than 200 million people in the country.

Sources: Techmeme · The Star