Official user statistics from Xiaohongshu

Xiaohongshu Tops App Store as TikTok Ban Drives 700,000 Users to Chinese App

Jan 16, 2025, 02:28 AM

With an impending ban on TikTok in the United States, users are flocking to alternative social media platforms such as Xiaohongshu, known as RedNote in English. Xiaohongshu, a Chinese social media app similar to Instagram and Pinterest, has seen a surge of over 700,000 new users in just two days, propelling it to the top of the Apple App Store charts in the US and 87 other countries. The platform, which boasts over 300 million users and traditionally caters to lifestyle, travel, fashion, and beauty content, has attracted hundreds of thousands of Americans, leading to the phenomenon of 'TikTok refugees'. The potential TikTok ban, set to take effect on January 19 unless the US Supreme Court intervenes, has prompted concern among its 170 million US users. The US government cites national security concerns over TikTok's Chinese ownership as the reason for the ban. TikTok has petitioned the Supreme Court to delay or overturn the ban, and a decision is expected in the coming days. Meanwhile, Xiaohongshu is reportedly working on translation tools to accommodate the influx of English-speaking users. Ironically, users are migrating from one Chinese-owned platform to another, raising similar security concerns.