Why is Meta calling out TikTok and YouTube with a flurry of new ads? It's a game of 'reputational jujitsu.'

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Bloomberg/Getty Images Meta ran ads on social media and in print newspapers following a multibillion-dollar settlement.

The advertisements call on TikTok and YouTube to join Meta in new protocols for teen safety.

We spoke with PR pros about the upside and risks of this new PR strategy.

Meta has a message for the public: Don't forget about TikTok and YouTube.

After Meta's surprise settlement of up to $18 billion in a teen addiction lawsuit on Wednesday, the company is going on the offensive to shape the narrative with a series of ads on social media and in print newspapers.

The advertisements, which Meta began running as a paid ad on its own platforms starting Wednesday, call for the two rival social media platforms to "join us in supporting teens." The ad links out to Meta's website announcing the settlement agreement.

"We want to ensure teens benefit from this new industry standard, but we cannot do it alone," the blog post reads.

"These protections will only be truly effective if we work with our peers — TikTok and YouTube — to put the same measures in place." Meta ran an ad on social media platforms and in print newspapers, calling on TikTok and YouTube.

Screenshot/Instagram It's true that Meta's Instagram and Facebook apps aren't the only social media apps under scrutiny for how teens use them.

It's also true that Meta's messaging is a useful public relations strategy in the wake of a year fraught with legal battles .

Mark Borkowski, a UK-based public-relations consultant, called Meta's advertisements an attempt at "reputational jujitsu." We asked PR pros, including Borkowski, what they made of Meta's latest move.

A potential win-win for Meta "This is actually quite a clever move from Meta," Sam Gauchier, a brand and communications consultant, told Business Insider.

"They've put TikTok and YouTube in a position where almost any response benefits them." If TikTok and YouTube follow suit, Meta can take credit for the public pressure it exerted on the two platforms, Gauchier said.