Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has decided to prohibit advertisements from ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, across its platforms in the United States and several other nations, a spokesperson confirmed on Thursday.
This decision highlights an intensifying competition between Meta and ByteDance, with TikTok positioned as a significant rival, drawing attention from users, creators, and advertisers alike.
The ban is effective immediately in the US, Canada, Egypt, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Meta stated that this also applies to third-party advertisers running campaigns linked to TikTok and other ByteDance platforms in these countries.
Meta explained, “We don’t have to run ads from a competitor whose goal is to pull people off our apps.” They added that refusing promotional services to a competitor is a standard practice in various industries and emphasized their commitment to maintaining competition through quality and user experience.
As for TikTok and ByteDance, they haven’t responded promptly to requests for comments regarding Meta’s actions.
According to TikTok’s guidelines, the platform does not allow links that redirect or log users into other social media applications. However, users can still provide links in their profiles that lead to other social media websites.
The move by Meta occurs amid a broader rivalry, as TikTok is increasingly seen as a formidable force against Meta in attracting user engagement and advertising revenue.
Furthermore, Meta has been pushing both TikTok and YouTube to adopt safety measures for teenagers, a response to a settlement of up to $18 billion with US states over the harm social media poses to children.
In August, Meta agreed to implement daily usage limits and restrict nighttime access for minors using Facebook and Instagram, alongside strengthening measures to prevent underage users from accessing inappropriate content.
While TikTok has yet to publicly address Meta’s initiative, it did settle with Alabama in September, which mandates new usage limits and improved age-verification processes for users in that state, addressing concerns about child safety and consumer deception.
TikTok currently functions in the US as a majority American-owned joint venture, following an agreement intended to protect user data and prevent a potential ban on the platform, which has over 200 million users in the country.
Bloomberg News was the first to report on Meta’s advertisement ban earlier in the day.
