The influx of more than 700,000 new users has been driven by a looming U.S. ban on TikTok, used by 170 million Americans, on national security concerns.

Analysts are predicting that a recent surge of Americans flocking to the Chinese social media platform RedNote - also known as Xiaohongshu - could be short-lived, as users soon find its content regulations differ sharply from those on TikTok US.

Newsweek reached out to TikTok and the Chinese embassy in the U.S. by email with requests for comment. Why It Matters. TikTok is set to be banned on January 19, affecting 170 mill

The app’s availability in the U.S. has been thrown into jeopardy over data privacy and national security concerns.

Chinese officials are evaluating a potential option that involves Elon Musk acquiring the U.S. operations if TikTok fails to fend off a controversial ban.

Musk acquired X (then Twitter) in October 2022 after a highly publicized back and forth, in which he gave up on the acquisition midway but ultimately closed the deal, paying $44 billion for the platform. X's user base has been on a decline since the acquisition, and advertising revenues have plummeted.