Meta Blocks TikTok Ads in US and Six Other Nations
Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, has prohibited advertisements from ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, on its platforms in the United States and several other nations, according to a statement from a company spokesperson on Thursday. The move signifies an intensification in the protracted competition between Meta and ByteDance, as TikTok has surfaced as one of Meta’s most significant challengers in terms of user engagement, creators, and advertising revenue.
Meta’s ban is now in effect across the US, Canada, Egypt, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam. This prohibition also applies to third-party advertisers conducting campaigns that direct traffic to TikTok and other ByteDance properties within these nations, according to Meta’s statement. “We don’t have to run ads from a competitor whose goal is to pull people off our apps,” Meta said. “Declining promotional services to a competitor is a normal business practice across industries. We will continue to compete on product quality and user experience.” TikTok’s website indicates that it does not facilitate links that either open or log users into alternative social media applications.
However, users retain the ability to incorporate links into their profiles that guide individuals to the respective websites of those platforms. Meta has been advocating for TikTok and YouTube to adopt measures it committed to in August, subsequent to a settlement of up to $18 billion with US states regarding social media-related harms to children. In August, Meta reached an agreement to implement daily usage limits and restrict nighttime access for children utilising Facebook and Instagram. Additionally, the company will bolster measures aimed at preventing minors from accessing content that is age-restricted. TikTok has refrained from making any public statements regarding Meta’s campaign.
However, in September, it reached a settlement with Alabama that mandates the social media platform to implement new usage limits and improve age-verification processes for users within the state. This settlement addresses allegations that TikTok posed risks to children and provided misleading information about its safety measures. TikTok functions in the United States as a predominantly American-owned joint venture following an agreement designed to protect US user data and prevent a ban on an application utilised by over 200 million users within the nation.
