Within the United States on January 19, 2025, Tiktok was officially banned and users in the states couldn’t access any of their videos, revenue, or the Tiktok shop. In just under 12 hours, many Tiktok users moved to an app called Rednote.
Rednote, also known as “Xiaohongshu,” is a Chinese application similar to Tiktok where users upload content and are able to comment on them.
Following the imminent TikTok ban Americans were being faced with, many downloaded and moved onto the app out of frustration and in protest of the ban, and out of spite.
The Tiktok ban allegedly came out of U.S security concerns, with accusations that came that the app may be sharing U.S data with the Chinese government, with a local Beijing law requiring local companies to share and cooperate with state law enforcement.
Before the Tiktok ban not many Americans were on the app. Coming up to the 19th when Tiktok was banned, Xiaohongshu became the number one downloaded app in the Apple App Store, holding this title for much of the week.
Xiaohongshu welcomed the new Americans to their app with open arms, many saying they were glad that Americans and Chinese citizens were finally coming together. Xiaohongshu even went as far as adding a translation feature to their app to help the new American users understand the app better.
Before the influx of TikTok refugees came to Rednote’s shores, Chinese censorship of the platforms available to their citizens made it difficult for American and Chinese citizens to communicate. Rednote, for a brief time, has not had these restrictions, and without a middle man, the two countries would speak freely with each other.
There are differing opinions on the topic.
Jacquavius Brown, a CHHS student, shared how he was happy TikTok was back as a content creator.
“I’m glad Tiktok is back, as a content creator, it allows me to reach new audiences.”
This highlights another grievance many people had with the TikTok ban, as many content creators rely on the app for their business/social media influence.
Many creators have stated that Tiktok is their main source of revenue, often quitting jobs over the app, but with the recent threat of the ban, they were making preparations on switching to other platforms.
Tiktok themselves stated during court filings that small businesses and content creators would lose $1.3 billion in revenue if the ban were enacted in full force.
