Meta Bans ByteDance Ads in Seven Countries, Including US

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has banned advertisements from Chinese company ByteDance across seven countries, including the United States, preventing promotional campaigns for TikTok and other ByteDance services from running on its platforms.

According to a Reuters report, a Meta spokesperson confirmed the move on Thursday, saying the ban took effect immediately.

The restrictions apply to the United States, Canada, Egypt, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand and Vietnam. Third-party advertisers in these countries will no longer be able to run ads linking to TikTok or other ByteDance services on Meta's platforms.

Meta said it had no obligation to promote a competitor's services when the objective was to direct users away from its own apps. The company added that refusing to provide promotional services to competitors was standard business practice across various industries.

Meta said it would continue to compete on the basis of product quality and user experience.

TikTok and ByteDance did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

According to TikTok's website, the platform does not support links designed to open other social media apps or log users into those platforms. However, users can include links to external websites in their profiles.

Meta and TikTok face growing scrutiny over child safety

The move comes amid growing pressure on Meta, TikTok and YouTube over the safety of children using social media.

In August, Meta reached settlements with several US states in lawsuits concerning the harmful effects of social media on children. The settlements involved potential payments of up to $18 billion.

Following the settlements, Meta agreed in August to strengthen protections for children and teenagers using Facebook and Instagram. The measures included setting daily usage limits, restricting nighttime use and tightening controls to prevent children from accessing age-restricted content.

TikTok has not publicly commented on Meta's campaign concerning the issue. However, the platform reached a settlement with the US state of Alabama in September.

Under that agreement, TikTok must introduce usage time limits and strengthen age-verification measures. The settlement addressed allegations that the platform posed risks to children's safety and misled consumers.

TikTok's US operations under scrutiny

TikTok has more than 200 million users in the United States, making the country one of its most important markets.

To address concerns about the security of US users' data and avoid the risk of a nationwide ban, TikTok is now operating as a majority-American-owned joint venture under an agreement designed to resolve the dispute over its US operations.

Meta's latest advertising restrictions add another dimension to the intensifying competition between the social media companies, as they seek to retain users, protect their market positions and navigate growing regulatory scrutiny.