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Meta has banned advertising from ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, across its platforms. The restriction covers both ads and paid marketing messages from ByteDance itself, as well as third-party advertisements that link to TikTok.
That means the policy reaches beyond marketing placed directly by ByteDance. Ads from other advertisers are also covered if they send people to TikTok. The ban applies across the US and several other countries, and took effect on Thursday, according to the report.
Meta spokesperson Andy Stone framed the decision around competition, saying: “We don’t have to run ads from a competitor whose goal is to pull people off our apps.” The restriction therefore targets messages that could direct users away from Meta’s apps, whether the advertiser is ByteDance or a third party promoting a link to TikTok.
As rivalry between major social media companies heats up, Meta’s move blocks ByteDance-related advertising from appearing across its services in the covered markets. It does not just address ads for TikTok bought by its parent company: third-party ads linking to the video-sharing app are included too.
Meta’s restriction on ByteDance advertising went into effect on Thursday, according to the report. It applies in the US and several other countries, extending beyond the American market.
The ban covers ads and paid marketing messages from ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company. It also includes advertising placed by third parties when the ads link to TikTok. In other words, the restriction is not limited to messages purchased directly by ByteDance: third-party campaigns that send people to TikTok are included as well.
The report does not identify the other countries where the restriction applies. It describes the measure as a ban on ByteDance ads across Meta’s platforms, including advertising and paid marketing content. The change took effect on Thursday, rather than being announced as a future policy, and covers the US along with several other countries.
Meta’s explanation for the restriction centres on competition and the destination of the ads. A company spokesperson said Meta does not have to run advertising from a rival if the rival’s goal is to draw people away from Meta’s apps.
The statement frames the ban as a decision about what Meta is willing to carry on its platforms: ads from ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, and third-party ads linking to TikTok. Rather than treating those messages as ordinary paid marketing, Meta’s rationale casts them as a way for a competitor to pull users off its apps.
The spokesperson’s comment does not offer further detail on how Meta assessed the ads or what criteria it used to apply the restriction. It does, however, state the company’s position plainly: Meta is not obliged to provide advertising space to a competitor when the purpose of that advertising is to move people to another app. The explanation also makes clear that the ban is tied to TikTok’s connection to ByteDance and to the ads’ links to TikTok, not just to the identity of the advertiser.
Meta’s ban arrives as competition between major social media operators heats up. The company is restricting advertising from ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent, as well as third-party ads that link to TikTok, across the US and several other countries.
Bloomberg reported the move earlier, according to The Verge. Meta spokesperson Andy Stone framed the decision as a response to a rival’s efforts to draw users away from its platforms: “We don’t have to run ads from a competitor whose goal is to pull people off our apps.”
The restriction applies to ads and paid marketing messages from ByteDance, not only promotions placed directly by the company. It also covers third-party advertising that directs people to TikTok. The move places paid promotion for the rival app outside the advertising Meta will run on its platforms, amid the broader contest between major social media companies.
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