Taipei, Taiwan – As TikTok is threatened to be banned in the United States, young Americans are flocking to Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu as “TikTok refugees” in search of a similar experience.
The app has risen to the top spot in the US iOS and Google Play stores in recent days as users prepare for a national security ban on TikTok from Sunday unless Chinese parent company ByteDance divests itself of its ownership.
Chinese lifestyle app Lemon8, which is also owned by ByteDance, ranked as the second most downloaded app.
Xiaohongshu, which has been described as China’s answer to Instagram, allows users to post photos, videos and text, and is known for its female-heavy user base.
Although it boasts about 300 million monthly active users, Xiaohongshu’s reach is smaller than that of other popular apps in China, such as Sina Weibo and WeChat, which claim more than 1.2 billion users.
A surge of new users, some of them describing themselves as “TikTok refugees,” are now flooding the app’s “Discover” page with videos asking for tips on how to use “RedNote,” the app’s new US moniker.
“Hello. I don’t know what’s going on anymore. Americans are coming here. Sorry if you all hate us. I promise we’ll do our best,” said a user calling herself “Star404” in a short video posted on Tuesday.
“Don’t worry, it will be so great for us. This is way better than TikTok. Just not Meta. Instagram reels, I can kind of dig. Facebook and YouTube shorts, no filming. That never happens,” she said.
Observers like Ryan Broderick, author of Garbage Day, a newsletter that covers the Internet, haven’t lost sight of the irony of many users switching from one Chinese-owned app to another.
“It’s definitely ridiculous that American teenagers are protesting the impending ban of TikTok using a much more cultured Chinese app,” Broderick told Al Jazeera.
“Right now, RedNote doesn’t seem to single out Chinese content or require users to have a Chinese phone number, so it’s turned into a kind of fun cultural chaos on the app, an experience that never really happened on TikTok,” he said.
The post by “Star404” garnered more than 4,000 comments in 24 hours, mostly from Chinese users who welcomed her to the platform or joked about language challenges.
Another user, “Fern”, expressed her gratitude for the flood of Chinese followers that came her way after joining the platform.
“We need to talk about you guys boosting my video on switching to Rednote to 50,000 new followers in less than 24 hours. You are crazy,” she said.
“But thank you so much for your support, I really appreciate it.”
Although it is fun for many Chinese users of Xiaohongshu, the increase in the number of American users has reportedly put the app’s owner in an uncomfortable situation.
Chinese media outlet PConline reported on Tuesday that Xiaohongshu employees were instructed not to “discuss, promote or share” news of their new US user base, citing sources within the company.
“This wave of traffic has become the sword of Damocles hanging over Xiaohongshu’s head. In fact, for Xiaohongshu, who inexplicably received this traffic, the risks far outweigh the opportunities,” the report said.
These potential risks include regulatory complications.
Chinese social media platforms typically require users to register with a Chinese phone number, while content is subject to government censorship.
For this reason, Chinese tech companies often create domestic and foreign versions of their apps, said Yiwen Lu, a researcher at ChinaTalk, a newsletter and podcast that focuses on Chinese technology.
TikTok is the international version of Douyin, while Lemon8 was specially designed by ByteDance for the foreign market.
For now, Chinese and American users see the same content on Xiaohongshu.
However, some users reminded their American counterparts that the app comes with its own set of rules.
“Friendly reminder: Do not mention sensitive topics like politics, religion and drugs on Chinese social media platforms!!! Please abide by the One China policy and reject pornography, gambling and drugs,” one user wrote under Star404’s post.
“[You] everything can be said here, except history [of China] from 1949-2025,” another user said.
ChinaTalk’s Lu said it will be difficult for US users to replicate their TikTok experience on the app – especially when it comes to monetizing content.
“The monetization models vary greatly – XHS is positioned as a shopping platform, and most creators generate revenue through paid partnerships. This difference creates a challenge for creators to fully transition their work and revenue streams to XHS in the short term,” Lu told Al Jazeera.
Live shopping, a hugely popular form of e-commerce in China, has taken off on Xiahongshu in recent months.
In the US, many TikTok users still buy through Amazon links or the LTK, short for “Like to Know” shopping platform.
Lu and Broderick expressed doubt that the influx of US users would last because of the differences between the platforms and the fact that many users joined as an act of protest.
Still, the migration to Xiaohongshu should serve as a warning to the US government and Big Tech, Broderick said.
“It’s a funny way to hopefully make American politicians realize that Chinese apps are coming to the US, whether they like it or not,” he said.
“Likewise, it’s a good way to let Silicon Valley know that their products are stagnant and that no amount of federal bans will get young people excited about Meta products again.”
