TikTok has reportedly rejected advertisements from Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, that aimed to persuade TikTok and YouTube to join Meta's significant child safety settlement with state attorneys general. The settlement, valued at up to $18 billion, includes terms that require Meta to pay a portion of the settlement amount if its rivals agree to similar measures, such as imposing a one-hour daily time limit for teenagers on their platforms.
A video advertisement created by Meta featured a voiceover urging TikTok and YouTube to adopt the standards set by the settlement. According to Axios, citing sources familiar with the matter, TikTok informed Meta on Wednesday that it would not run the ads because they violated the platform's policy against advertising with "political content."
Meta stated that for the measures to be truly effective in empowering parents and ensuring the safety of teens across widely used apps, TikTok and YouTube needed to "step up and meet the standard." The company expressed disappointment in their decision not to engage but remained hopeful they would "do the right thing."
Neither TikTok nor Google, which owns YouTube, were defendants in the original federal case that led to Meta's settlement. However, some of the attorneys general involved in the lawsuit have reportedly urged both companies to implement similar safeguards or face potential action.
Officials from TikTok and Google were scheduled to attend an event hosted by the Department of Health and Human Services focused on screen time and online safety issues. Both companies ultimately withdrew their participation from the event. The House Select Committee on China also stated that TikTok had "reneged on its commitment" to participate in a September roundtable, with Committee Chair Rep. John Moolenaar suggesting TikTok was avoiding broader scrutiny of its child safety practices. TikTok has not provided a comment on these reports.