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Um, neither WhatsApp nor Instagram were competitors to Facebook. Both of the acquired companies simply did something that Facebook tried to do, but very successfully.

The government can only prevent acquisitions and mergers, when such would greatly harm the consumer by giving a company too much control of a vital market, like health insurance or phone service. Moreover, it didn't stop banks from consolidating 30 separate entities into 5 between 1990 and 2005 or so.

How would you describe competitors if it's not someone who tries to do same thing?

On top of that, there was very move of youngsters to WhatsApp and Instagram as their social media of choice. Instead of lame old man's Facebook. That's very clear competition for new users.

Would you argue that Google should have been allowed to buy them then? How about Google buying YouTube? Where do you draw the line? Because so far it seems to largely stem on whether the people proposing this like the company or if they think (wrongly) it swayed the election outcome away from their perceived world view.

Nope, not Google and maybe not even Microsoft.

YT with today's reach: no buyout from Google. Simple as that

I mentioned Facebook and WhatsApp in my essay.