Meta, the world’s social media giant, has announced that it has banned ads related to TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, in several countries. The decision comes as competition among major platforms to attract users and advertising budgets has sharply increased and their disagreements over advertising restrictions and the safety of underage users have deepened.
According to a Bloomberg report, Meta reviewed and announced this decision that it will not provide its advertising services to a rival. Chris Sgro, Meta’s spokesperson, explained this policy by saying the company is not obliged to run a rival’s ads that aim to attract users away from Meta’s apps.
This move is also seen as a response to TikTok’s policies; the platform had previously banned links to Instagram and Facebook profiles as well as Meta ads on its service. At the same time, TikTok is pressuring other social networks to take more measures to improve the safety of underage users.
Ban on ByteDance ads in several countries
On Thursday Meta announced a ban on advertising and marketing by ByteDance, TikTok’s owner. This restriction applies in the United States of America, Canada, Egypt, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand and Vietnam.
The scope of this decision is not limited to direct ByteDance ads and also covers third-party advertisers operating within ad campaigns related to TikTok. Thus, companies and groups that intend to use Meta’s advertising capacity to market services related to TikTok will face new restrictions. This action could reduce ByteDance’s access to part of Meta’s advertising capacities; however, the financial impact of this ban is not specified in the published report.
Meta’s statements also indicate that the company views competitors’ ads as part of direct competition for audience and ad budget and does not want to use its infrastructure to steer users to rival platforms.
Child safety; a new field of competition between Meta and TikTok
The disagreement between these companies is not limited to ads. Increased legal pressure to protect children and teenagers on social networks has become another arena of competition among Meta, TikTok and YouTube.
According to the published report, Meta reached an agreement in August with U.S. states valued at a reported $18 billion that requires the company to implement safety features for children on Facebook and Instagram.
Legal experts believe such developments could pressure other major platforms, especially TikTok and YouTube, to adopt similar changes. In this situation, companies that provide social services to users may be forced to revise their safety policies and features.
European regulators also announced this summer that TikTok has fallen short in ensuring the safety of underage users. According to the submitted report, the platform faces a fine equivalent to 6 percent of its annual revenue.
The aggregate of these pressures puts TikTok and YouTube in a difficult position; because these platforms not only face expectations from government regulators, but also pressure from competitors like Meta to adopt stricter child safety policies.
Meta asks competitors to change safety policies
In recent months Meta has highlighted the implementation of more measures to protect children on social networks through media and public statements. The company has recently placed advertisements in major newspapers and requested similar information from other platforms. Meta has also criticized TikTok for its absence from several U.S. state sessions about screen time and child safety.
These positions come at a time when social media companies face increasing scrutiny over how children use their services. However, the coincidence of legal pressures with advertising restrictions among rivals raises questions about the commercial impact of these disputes.
According to Bloomberg, TikTok, which is now owned by a consortium of American and Emirati investors and in which Oracle owned by Larry Ellison is also among the actors related to this ownership structure, is a subject raised in this context.
Overall, the ban on TikTok-related ads on Meta’s platforms is the latest sign of intensifying competition among major social media companies; a competition that, in addition to attracting users and ad revenues, is now tied to child safety policies and regulatory pressures.