As the threat of a TikTok ban looms, US TikTok users are flocking to Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu — making it the most downloaded app in the US
Some “TikTok refugees,” as they call themselves, say the TikTok alternative, a Chinese app, was chosen in protest of the TikTok ban.
The US Supreme Court is set to rule on a law that says TikTok must divest from Chinese parent company ByteDance by January 19 or face a ban in the US over national security concerns.
After the justices appeared inclined to let the law stand, large numbers of TikTok users began creating accounts on Xiaohongshu, including hashtags such as #tiktokrefugee or #tiktok in their posts. Since Monday, Xiaohongshu has been the most downloaded free app on Apple’s App Store in the United States
Xiaohongshu, which in English means “Little Red Book”, is a Chinese social media app that combines the functions of e-commerce, short video and publishing.
The app has gained traction in China and other regions and countries with Chinese communities such as Malaysia and Taiwan in recent years, with the number of monthly active users reaching 300 million, the majority of whom are young women who use it as a de facto search engine. For product, travel and restaurant recommendations, plus makeup and skincare tutorials.
The #tiktokrefugee topic has garnered more than 160,000 posts on Xiaohongshu, many of which are videos of American users introducing themselves and asking for tips on how to navigate the app, which they call “RedNote.”
Xiao Hongshu did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.
Alexis Garman is a 21-year-old TikTok user in Oklahoma with nearly 20,000 followers. She joined Xiaohongshu on Tuesday after seeing others doing the same. Jarman said she is not particularly concerned about data privacy.
“What I’ve experienced on (Xiaohongshu) so far has been really cool and engaging,” said Jarman, who left two posts on the platform.
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“I love your makeup,” a Xiaohongshu user from Beijing commented on one of her posts, and Garman thanked them in the response. A user from the southwestern province of Sichuan commented: “I am your Chinese spy… Please hand over your personal information or photos of your cat (or dog).”
“TikTok would likely be banned, removing not only the app but also jobs, friends and community,” Jarman said. “Personally, the friends and connections I have with my followers will now be gone.”
Other American users who joined Xiaohongshu have been vocal about joining the app in protest of TikTok’s potential ban.
An American user with the handle Definitelynotchippy created a video directed at Chinese Xiaohongshu users, explaining why Americans should download the app.
“The reason our government is telling us they’re banning TikTok is because they insist it’s owned by you guys, the Chinese people, the government, whatever else,” she said. “And they’re trying to make us think you’re bad.”
“A lot of us are smarter than that, so we decided to piss off our government and download an actual Chinese app,” she said. “We call this trolling… In short, we’re here to spite our government and to learn about China and hang out with you guys.”
Chinese users on Xiaohongshu have so far welcomed American users, with some offering to teach them Chinese. Others offered advice on navigating the Chinese internet, warning new users not to mention or discuss anything considered politically sensitive because it may be subject to censorship. In some cases, Chinese students asked Americans for help with their English homework.
Like most apps and internet services in China, Xiaohongshu is subject to censorship. Platforms typically censor by deleting or blocking content that Beijing deems politically sensitive. Large Western platforms, such as Google and Facebook, are banned in China.
Although Xiaohongshu has seen an influx of users, it’s not clear whether the app can replace TikTok, which has created an ecosystem that allows for e-commerce and advertising. Before TikTok came under threat, the vast majority of Xiaohongshu’s users were Chinese, and the app, which lacks translation features, was not optimized for an international user base.
Although tensions between the United States and China remain high over trade and national security, many Chinese and American Xiaohongshu users have followed friendly cultural exchanges via the app. These interactions range from live chat rooms to comments on posts.
A TikTok refugee named Amanda posted a video of how happy she was to find the Xiaohongshu app, saying it was welcomed by Chinese users. Under her post, a Chinese user commented: “We are not enemies, we are humans (living) in one world!”
Another said: “We never had a chance to connect with you foreign guys who share the same app or platform directly, so (the feeling) is mutual since you came on this app.”
In a comment she posted in Chinese, Amanda, the TikTok “refugee,” said she would work on publishing captions and translations in Chinese in the future.
“I am very happy to talk with Chinese people and learn about your culture and experiences,” she said.
& Edition 2025 The Canadian Press
