Meta blocks ByteDance ads in escalating TikTok rivalry

Meta has begun banning advertising from ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, across seven markets, escalating its rivalry with the short-form video platform amid growing tensions over child safety and competition for users.

The restriction, which began taking effect on 8 October, applies to the US, Canada, Egypt, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand and Vietnam, according to Bloomberg. It covers advertisements and paid marketing messages placed by ByteDance on Meta's platforms, as well as campaigns from third-party advertisers that link to TikTok and other ByteDance properties in the affected markets.

Meta spokesperson Chris Sgro defended the decision as a business measure, saying: "We don't have to run ads from a competitor whose goal is to pull people off our apps."

"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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The move marks a further escalation in a long-running rivalry between Meta and TikTok, which have competed for users and attention across social media. While TikTok operates in the US, a key market for Meta, Meta remains unable to operate in China, one of TikTok's most important markets.

Tensions have intensified since August, when Meta agreed to an US$18 billion settlement with US states requiring it to introduce new safety features for minors across Instagram and Facebook.

Since then, Meta has pressed TikTok and Google's YouTube to commit to comparable changes, arguing that it cannot address industry-wide child safety concerns alone.

The disagreement has also extended to advertising. Last month, TikTok introduced measures that made it harder for users to move from its platform to rival social networks, including removing dedicated Instagram links from user profiles. TikTok also rejected advertisements from Meta calling for comparable child safety commitments.

Meta has pursued its pressure campaign through other channels, including newspaper advertisements following the settlement. Its executives have also criticised TikTok for not attending a recent US surgeon general's event on the harms of excessive screen use and for withdrawing from a national security meeting with the House Select Committee on China.

The dispute comes as other consumer technology companies introduce similar restrictions on rival businesses. The Information reported in September that OpenAI had told advertising partners it would not accept advertisements for image- and audio-generation products that compete with its own.

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