Some TikTok users they don't wait until the upcoming ban on January 19 to test other short-form video sharing apps, but instead Metaon social networks or Fediversethey are flooding to other Chinese-owned mobile software platforms.
Two apps owned by Chinese companies — Xiaohongshu (which translates to “little red book” and is also called RedNote) and Lemon8, which is owned by TikTok parent company ByteDance — top the free app download charts in the US for iPhone and Android users. RedNote is owned by Xingyin Information Technology, a private company based in Shanghai.
How Jen Hamiltona popular TikTok user, explained in a videothe act of downloading the Chinese apps is a form of protest against moves to shut down TikTok in the US. “You don't want the Chinese to have our very sensitive personal information?” We'll leave them straight,” Hamilton said. “I don't care.”
Read more: 3 things you should definitely do before the TikTok ban goes into effect on January 19
RedNote was is compared to a cross between Pinterest and Instagram, focusing on short lifestyle content. Lemon8, TikTok's sister app, also has A Pinterest-like aesthetic but is more focused on videos on lifestyle topics such as food, home and health.
Lawmakers have raised concerns for years that TikTok, which has 170 million users in the U.S., poses a national security threat laced with privacy risks. Last year, a newly enacted federal law required TikTok find a US-based buyer or to close, with a deadline of Sunday, January 19. Lawyers representing TikTok argue that the case is a matter of free speech. The US Supreme Court is expected in the next few days to decide whether to respect that law.
It's unclear how TikTok's ban, if the law is upheld, might affect access to other apps owned by Chinese companies, including RedNote and Lemon8. That did not stop Hamilton and other users from start learning Chinese languages and directing friends to their profiles on those Alternative to TikTok platforms. Language learning app Duolingo released on January 15 that an incredible 216% growth in Mandarin learners was recorded compared to last year.
Other TikTok alternatives that seem to be gaining ground on the app charts include short-form video apps Flip and Clapper, both based in the US. Each is in the top five free downloads in the Apple App Store.