Chinese app RedNote is rocketing up download charts – in Australia the sudden uptake is not just about TikTok

RedNote has 300 million users mostly based in China, but has added about 700,000 new users in a matter of days as TikTok users look for an alternative. Photograph: Andre M Chang/Zuma Press Wire/Rex/Shutterstock

As the TikTok ban looms in the United States, users have flocked to RedNote, also known as Xiaohongshu, a China-based app that looks similar to Instagram.

But in Australia, where there is no imminent TikTok ban, the app is also rocketing up the app download charts. And it doesn’t just tell us about TikTok – it also exposes problems with Australia’s forthcoming social media age ban.