Dear Editor,

American TikTok users, who are mostly young people, have been switching to the popular Chinese app Xiaohongshu, translated to English as RedNote, given the uncertainties that exists with TikTok.

These switchers call themselves the TikTok refugees and made RedNote the most downloaded app on Apple’s US App Store on Monday, January 13, 2025.

Interestingly, RedNote is a TikTok competitor and popular with young people in China, Taiwan, and other Mandarin-speaking populations and is rapidly growing in the US and the UK. It has about 300 million monthly users and looks like a combination of TikTok and Instagram.

It allows users, mostly young urban women, to exchange lifestyle tips — from dating to fashion. Meanwhile,
RedNote has welcomed its new users with open arms. “To our Chinese hosts, thanks for having us and sorry in advance for the chaos,” a new US user wrote. Another confirmed: “The move to RedNote is a way to brush off the Government.” The user further stated: “I do not have anything that China does not, and if they want my data that bad, they can have it.” In fact, one designer from Virginia said he created his RedNote account over the weekend to share his clothing brand and “be ahead of the curve”. But like TikTok, there have also been reports of censorship on RedNote when it comes to criticism of the Chinese Government.

In Taiwan, public officials are restricted from using RedNote due to alleged security risks of Chinese software. As more US users joined RedNote, some Chinese users have also jokingly referred to themselves as “Chinese spies”, a dig at US officials who have expressed concern that TikTok could be used by China as a tool for spying and political manipulation.

But security concerns have not deterred users from flocking to RedNote. While a ban will not make TikTok disappear immediately, it will require app stores like Google’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store to make it unavailable for download in the US, which could kill it over time.

At another level, even if TikTok dodges a ban, it may prove helpless against users moving to alternative platforms. Some social media users indicated that they find themselves scrolling on RedNote more than
TikTok.

Owen McKenzie

mckenzieowen28@yahoo.com