From TikTok to RedNote: Fleeing to a 'More Chinese' App Amid US Ban Threats

From TikTok to RedNote: Fleeing to a 'More Chinese' App Amid US Ban Threats
Citing alleged data security concerns, the US government demanded ByteDance divest TikTok by January 19 or face a shutdown. Ironically, many American users responded by fleeing to RedNote (Xiaohongshu), an even more Chinese app, calling themselves "TikTok refugees." This shift led to a 200% surge in downloads.

Chinese users warmly welcomed newcomers, offering tips and free language lessons. #TikTokRefugees has now surpassed 380 million views and continues to grow rapidly. On January 14, RedNote topped the US App Store rankings, followed by Lemon8.