Red hot: key facts about Xiaohongshu, the Chinese app taking the US by storm In the days leading up to a proposed US government ban on the social media platform TikTok, American users have turned to another Chinese-owned app,

On the heels of TikTok's looming shutdown on January 19 over its ownership in the U.S. (unless the Supreme Court intervenes), it looks like another American users are flocking to a Chinese app called Xiaohongshu as people become less optimistic that TikTok can overturn U.

The Supreme Court upheld the ruling that could ban TikTok on Sunday, but “TikTok refugees” across the country are already finding new platforms.

It holds the top position among the most downloaded social networks in the Apple stores in the United States. Shuang is hooked on an app that many of its followers believe ironically adopted the name of a popular red-covered book full of doctrinal quotes from the founding father of communist China.

As self-described " TikTok refugees" pour onto the Chinese social media app RedNote, also known as Xiaohongshu, some foreign netizens are already running up against the country's extensive censorship apparatus. Newsweek reached out to Xiaohongshu with a request for comment via a general contact email address.

As the potential US TikTok ban approaches, American content creators are turning to Xiaohongshu (RedNote), a Chinese app akin to Instagram and Pintere

Chinese-owned TikTok is set to be banned in the United States on Jan. 19, 2025, and another Chinese-owned app is welcoming American "TikTok refugees."

Several social media apps have appearing high in app store chart rankings as a potential U.S. ban hangs over the heads of TikTok and its American users.

RedNote was launched in China in 2013 and has registered 300 million monthly active users.The RedNote app is currently valued at $17 billion.

The Chinese app’s new American users are connecting directly with their Chinese counterparts at a time when the two countries are interacting less overall.

The U.S. Supreme Court is upholding a congressional nationwide ban on the app that would impact more than 170 million users, including some from San Antonio.

TikTok has become another battleground showcasing China-US tensions, with President Joe Biden's administration accusing the app of allowing Beijing to collect data and spy on users -- claims denied by China and TikTok's owner ByteDance.