In the U.S., the use of Chinese apps has increased significantly. A potential TikTok ban could impact these apps.

• As a potential TikTok ban looms, "TikTok refugees" are flocking to Chinese social media apps Lemon8 and RedNote.
• Legal experts warn that a TikTok ban could have consequences on other apps due to the broad scope of the legislation.

As a potential ban looms, "TikTok refugees" are flocking to alternative platforms such as Lemon8 and RedNote, both of which have gained popularity in the U.S.

Legal experts warn that a law threatening to shut down TikTok in the U.S. could also impact other Chinese social media apps, including those gaining popularity as TikTok alternatives.

On Wednesday, Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote, was the leading free app on the U.S. iOS store, while Lemon8 came in second.

The Supreme Court will decide on the constitutionality of the PAFACA, which could result in a TikTok ban in the U.S. if ByteDance, its Beijing-based owner, does not divest the app by January 19.

The legislation targeting TikTok and ByteDance could set a precedent for Washington to regulate other Chinese apps.

U.S. policy and politics expert Tobin Marcus of New York-based research firm Wolfe Research stated that Chinese social media apps, including Lemon8 and RedNote, could potentially be banned under the new law.

If the TikTok ban is upheld, it will be unlikely that potential replacements can originate from China without some form of divestiture, experts said.

Marcus stated that PAFACA automatically applies to Lemon8, a ByteDance subsidiary, while RedNote could potentially fall under the law if its monthly average user base in the U.S. continues to increase.

No internet hosting services can be provided, maintained, or distributed to any "foreign adversary controlled application" as per the legislation.

Applications linked to ByteDance or TikTok or a social media firm controlled by a "foreign adversary" and deemed a threat to national security are included in this category.

The legislation's wording is broad, allowing President Trump to determine which entities pose a significant threat to national security, according to Carl Tobias, Williams Chair in Law at the University of Richmond.

Eurasia Group's Director of Geo-technology, Xiaomeng Lu, stated that the law will likely be enforced, even if its implementation and enforcement are delayed. She anticipates that Chinese apps in the U.S. will continue to face increased regulatory scrutiny in the future.

Lu stated that the TikTok case has established a new precedent for Chinese apps to face targeted shutdowns.

Officials have accused Temu and Shein, two popular Chinese e-commerce platforms, of posing data risks, similar to the allegations made against TikTok.

The Supreme Court will decide the fate of TikTok after the platform and its parent company filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government, alleging that invoking PAFACA violated constitutional protections of free speech.

Gautam Hans, a Cornell Law Professor, stated that TikTok's argument is that the law is unconstitutional as it applies to them specifically, not that it is unconstitutional in general. He added that even if TikTok wins or loses, the law could still potentially be applied to other companies.

The law's scope is broad enough to encompass various Chinese apps that pose a national security threat, not just social media apps like TikTok, as Hans explained.

Trump and Democratic lawmakers have both urged the U.S. Supreme Court and Congress to delay implementing PAFACA, with Trump seeking a "political resolution" after taking office and Democrats requesting an extension of the Jan. 19 deadline.