Meta Blocks Tiktok Ads Across Seven Countries
Meta has barred ByteDance advertising and third-party campaigns linking to TikTok on its platforms in the US and six other countries.
Meta has banned advertising by TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, on its platforms in the United States and six other countries. The restriction also covers third-party ads that link to TikTok, according to The Verge and Engadget. Meta describes the decision as a normal choice not to promote a competitor; it comes amid a broader dispute between the companies over links, advertising and child safety.
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What the ban covers
The ban took effect Thursday in the US, Canada, Egypt, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand and Vietnam, both outlets report. It applies to ByteDance ads and paid marketing messages, as well as campaigns from other advertisers that direct people to TikTok.
Meta spokesperson Christopher Sgro told The Verge that the company did not have to sell advertising to a rival seeking to draw users away from its apps. He said Meta would continue competing through its products and the experience they offer users. Engadget, citing Bloomberg, reported the same explanation from the spokesperson, identifying him as Chris Sgro.
A dispute over links and safety campaigns
The restrictions follow changes on TikTok’s side. Engadget reports that TikTok banned links to Instagram and Facebook profiles. The Verge describes TikTok’s rule more broadly, citing a support page that says users cannot include links that open or sign them into other social media apps. The reports do not say that TikTok’s link policy and Meta’s advertising ban are identical measures.
Meta has also been pressing TikTok and YouTube to adopt protections for minors after agreeing to a child-safety settlement that requires changes to Facebook and Instagram. The outlets give different figures for that settlement: The Verge reports $17 billion, while Engadget reports $18 billion. Engadget says Meta ran newspaper ads calling for similar steps from its rivals; The Verge reports that TikTok declined to carry a Meta campaign on its platform.
Engadget also reports that European regulators have raised concerns about TikTok’s protections for minors and said the company could face a fine of up to 6 percent of its annual revenue. That regulatory concern is separate from Meta’s decision about which ads to accept.
TikTok’s ownership context
Both reports say ByteDance retains a stake in TikTok’s US business, although they describe its ownership differently. The Verge says a joint venture majority-owned by US-based companies controls TikTok in the US and that ByteDance remains a major shareholder. Engadget calls ByteDance a minority owner and describes TikTok’s ownership as a consortium of US and UAE investors. Neither report says the advertising restriction changes TikTok’s ownership or access to Meta’s apps.
Sources
This story was compiled by AI from the reports below. Read the originals for the full details.