Meta bans ByteDance and TikTok ads across its platforms

Meta has banned ads from ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, across the US and several other countries, The Verge reports, citing Bloomberg. The policy took effect on Thursday and covers ads and paid marketing messages from ByteDance, as well as third-party ads that link to TikTok.

“We don’t have to run ads from a competitor whose goal is to pull people off our apps,” Meta spokesperson Christopher Sgro told The Verge. He said declining promotional services to a competitor is normal business practice across industries, and that Meta would continue to compete on product quality and user experience.

The move follows a child safety settlement that requires Meta to pay $17 billion and add restrictions for teens. Meta has called on TikTok and YouTube to adopt similar safeguards. TikTok reportedly declined to carry an ad campaign from Meta. TikTok has also stopped allowing links that “open or log you into other social media apps,” according to its support page.

In the US, TikTok is now controlled by a joint venture majority-owned by US-based companies, though ByteDance remains a major shareholder. The ad restrictions also apply in Canada, Egypt, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam.