Meta bans TikTok ads on its platforms in US, Japan and other countries

Facebook and Instagram-owner Meta has banned advertisements by ByteDance, the Chinese parent of TikTok, on its platforms in the United States and a handful of other countries, a company spokesperson said on Thursday (Oct 8).

The move marks an escalation in the long-running 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.

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

"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."

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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. However, users can still add links to their profiles that direct people to those platforms' websites.

Meta has been urging TikTok and YouTube to follow steps it agreed to take on teen safety in August following a settlement of up to US$18 billion with US states over social media harms to children.

Meta in August agreed to impose daily usage limits and restrict nighttime usage by children who use Facebook and Instagram, and enhance 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 the social media platform to impose new usage limits and enhance 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 after a deal aimed at safeguarding US user data and averting a US ban on an app used by more than 200 million users in the country.

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