U.S. 'TikTok refugees' flock to Chinese alternative app Xiaohongshu

(ECNS) -- "TikTok refugees" are flocking to Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu as the company faces an imminent shutdown in the U.S.

The U.S. Supreme Court has signaled that it would uphold a ban on TikTok in the country over national security concerns, unless its China-owned parent company ByteDance sells the platform ahead of the Jan. 19 deadline.

Currently, Xiaohongshu is the most downloaded app in the Apple Store. Many newcomers have posted on the platform, referring to themselves as "TikTok refugees," saying they migrated to the app in rebellion against the U.S. banning.

Most expressed their wish to learn and use Chinese internet slang on Xiaohongshu. Some even said they could help Chinese students with English homework, which has unexpectedly attracted many Chinese elementary schoolers.

The influx of American users caught Chinese Xiaohongshu users off guard. IPs from the U.S. and posts in English give Chinese users the illusion that they are abroad. They suggested that the application should introduce a translation function to help these new users understand its interface and operations.

Some Chinese netizens joked that if they had the chance to learn English this way before, they would get an extra 0.5 point in their IELTS tests.

Experts say the influx into the Chinese social media app may inspire new content creation, such as language learning and cross-country exchanges. Meanwhile, Xiaohonshu is considering how to manage multi-cultural differences, cognitive collision and other pressing challenges posted by these new users.