Meta has banned advertisements promoting TikTok and other ByteDance services on its platforms in the US and several countries.
Where Has Meta Banned TikTok Advertisements?
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has prohibited advertisements placed by ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, across its platforms in the United States and several other countries.
The restriction, announced on October 8, takes immediate effect in the United States, Canada, Egypt, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand and Vietnam. The ban also applies to third-party advertisers running campaigns that direct users to TikTok or other ByteDance properties in these markets.
The decision represents another development in the longstanding competition between Meta and ByteDance for users, content creators and advertising revenue.
TikTok has emerged as a major competitor to Meta’s social media platforms, particularly in attracting user engagement.
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Why Has Meta Restricted Competitor Advertising?
Meta defended its decision as a commercial measure, arguing that companies are not obliged to provide advertising services to direct competitors seeking to attract users away from their platforms. The company maintained that declining promotional services to a competitor is a normal business practice across industries.
Meta said it would continue competing through product quality and user experience.
TikTok and ByteDance did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the restrictions. TikTok already limits links that directly open or log users into competing social media applications, although users can still include links to those platforms’ websites in their profiles.
What Other Issues Surround the Rivalry?
The advertising restrictions come amid wider scrutiny of social media companies over children’s online safety.
In August, Meta agreed to introduce daily usage limits, restrict nighttime access for children using Facebook and Instagram, and strengthen measures preventing minors from accessing age-restricted content. These commitments followed a settlement with US states worth up to $18 billion concerning alleged social media harms to children.
Meta has also urged TikTok and YouTube to adopt similar safety measures. Separately, TikTok reached a settlement with Alabama in September requiring additional usage restrictions and stronger age-verification measures.
TikTok operates in the United States through a majority American-owned joint venture following an agreement intended to protect user data and prevent a ban on the application, which has more than 200 million US users.
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