The tables have turned, and now China is anxious in regards to the US corrupting their youth by way of social media.
Chinese language-owned video sharing app RedNote is reportedly contemplating quarantining American customers over issues they’re a poor affect on their very own younger folks.
Forward of TikTok being banned and “going darkish” on Sunday – which ultimately solely lasted 14 hours after new President Donald Trump intervened – thousands and thousands of Individuals downloaded the choice Chinese language-owned video sharing platform, sending it to the primary spot on the US App Retailer.
Three million Individuals joined RedNote in only a single day final week, some calling themselves “TikTok refugees” – and immediately precipitated a tradition conflict.
Individuals descended on Chinese language influencers’ feedback sections with sexualized messages.
“How do you say mommy in Chinese language? Like in a sexy method,” one American consumer commented on a Chinese language feminine health influencer’s video. One other Chinese language girl acquired a remark studying, “I’ll train you English effective sh-t,” from an American consumer.
In the meantime, Chinese language customers have been drooling over provocative movies of engaging American RedNoters, like one commenter who initially wrote in Mandarin, “After seeing international women, I’m not keen on home ones.”
“American ladies on RedNote [are] already triggering a gender warfare in China,” one X consumer responded.
Individuals are additionally serving to Chinese language teenagers cheat on their English homework by commenting the solutions of their posts.
Such cross-cultural interactions don’t occur on TikTok, as a result of the corporate which owns it, ByteDance – who’re strongly linked to the Communist Occasion – runs a wholly separate app, Douyin, for Chinese language customers.
Douyin adheres to the Chinese language communist authorities’s strict guidelines and censorship banning political criticism, sexualized content material and lots of different issues it deems unhealthy for its residents.
RedNote, known as Xiaohongshu in Chinese language – which accurately interprets as Little Crimson Ebook, an obvious reference to former dictator Chairman Mao – can also be required to comply with the Chinese language Communist Occasion’s laws, however has but to deliver its moderation of English language content material to satisfy these requirements.
In accordance with studies, the app is now below stress to maneuver all non-Chinese language customers right into a separate, quarantined server to mitigate contact and cease poisoning the younger, principally feminine consumer base. The app already rolled out a model new function for Chinese language customers that permits them to filter out content material from all international customers.
RedNote can also be “urgently recruiting English content material moderators” in response to the inflow of international customers — although, sarcastically, the app beforehand tried to recruit American influencers to advertise forward of the TikTok ban.
Within the meantime, American political points are trickling into the Chinese language social consciousness by way of RedNote.
Luigi Mangione is a viral subject on the app. Chinese language customers are posting memes and drawings of the accused assassin, at present awaiting trial for allegedly gunning down United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. One RedNoter even dressed up within the type of Mangione, donning the identical maroon sweater and slacks he wore to a court docket look.
However not all political interactions are going easily. An LGBT American consumer who posted a video about queer points on the platform was instructed by Chinese language customers “don’t promote LGBT within the platform,” “[we] don’t prefer it,” and “simply don’t speak about this to everybody.”
One American consumer was completely banned for posting a photograph of Winnie The Pooh, the kids’s cartoon character that President Xi Jinping famously detests being instructed he seems like. RedNote cited the reason for his ban as “harming nationwide pursuits.”
Individuals are even censoring each other, out of concern of a crackdown.
“Do NOT deliver that foolishness over right here [please] act proper. [They’re going to] kick us out or one thing,” one American consumer responded to a different’s sexual remark.
For years, Individuals have panicked about China’s insidious affect over American younger folks by way of TikTok, from stealing consumer knowledge to selling harmful challenges to pushing divisive political messaging and inspiring tween and teenage women to submit movies of them dancing provocatively.
Senior leaders have accused the Chinese language authorities of pushing smut on our youth by way of TikTok, whereas presenting their very own kids with a very completely different model of the app stuffed with constructive messages, instructional movies, and pro-government propaganda.
Now that President Trump has reportedly helped restore TikTok, the RedNote migration would possibly show short-lived.
However, after years of struggling delicate psychological warfare waged towards our youth within the type of TikTok, it’s satisfying to see the Chinese language get a style of their very own medication.