American teens flock to pro-CCP app amid TikTok ban
Droves of American teens are migrating to a new social media platform under the Chinese Communist Party’s control as TikTok is set to be banned in the US.
For several years, reports of the Chinese Community Party (CCP) harvesting data from American users on TikTok have sparked national security concerns among US officials, including President-elect Donald Trump. In April, Joe Biden signed a law forcing the Chinese company ByteDance to either sell TikTok or face a ban. The ban will take effect on Sunday unless the US Supreme Court intervenes.
Memories of Mao
However, American teens are now flocking to a new Chinese social media platform that appears to have stronger ties to the CCP. The app is called Xiaohongshu, which means “little red book” in Mandarin. The name is reminiscent of the late Chinese dictator Mao Tse-Tung, who forced citizens to carry a book of his sayings widely referred to as the “little red book.” Americans refer to the app as “RedNote,” which blurs the connection to Mao.
‘Americans are coming here’
On Tuesday, Xiaohongshu became the most downloaded free app on the App Store in the US after downloads more than tripled over the last week, according to a New York Times report. American users are rallying under the hashtag #TikTokrefugee, which the Times says has been viewed over 100 million times and sparked over 2.5 million discussion threads.
"Our government is out of their minds if they think we're going to stand for this TikTok ban," a user called Heather Roberts said in a video on Xiaohongshu. "We're just going to a new Chinese app, and here we are."
"This is so much better than TikTok," another user posted. "Americans are coming here . . . so sorry you'll hate us, but I promise we'll do our best."
Censorship
Xiaohongshu’s censorship practices also strongly indicate it is controlled by the CCP. Criticism of the CCP is not allowed on the platform, and certain nicknames for Chinese President Xi Jinping are similarly banned. Users have found themselves censored for mentioning events like the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre. Australian Drew Pavlou said he was censored for posting a photo of Xi Jinping and asking about labor conditions in China.
Who will influence whom?
Although reports say Chinese users are welcoming Americans onto the platform, it is unclear whether Chinese authorities are happy about the migration. The influx of Americans, particularly TikTok users who are known to be overwhelmingly Left, may influence Chinese users in ways unpalatable to the CCP. Ideologies like “diversity,” “climate change,” and “transgenderism” are not popular in China, and expectations of civil rights like free speech have often been discouraged by the Chinese government.
