As the threat of a TikTok ban looms in the United States, users there are flocking to the Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu - making it the top downloaded app in the US.

Some of the “TikTok refugees,” as they call themselves, say the TikTok alternative, a Chinese app, is being chosen in protest of the TikTok ban.

The US Supreme Court is due to rule on a law that stipulates TikTok must be divested from its Chinese parent company ByteDance by January 19 or face a ban in the US over national security concerns.

After the justices seemed inclined to let the law stand, masses of TikTok users began creating accounts on Xiaohongshu, including hashtags such as #tiktokrefugee or #tiktok to their posts.

Since Monday, Xiaohongshu has become the top downloaded free app on Apple’s App Store in the US.

Xiaohongshu, which in English means “Little Red Book”, is a Chinese social media app that combines e-commerce, short video and posting functions.

The app has gained traction in China and other regions and countries with a Chinese diaspora, racking up 300 million monthly active users, a majority of whom are young women who use it as a de-facto search engine for product, travel and restaurant recommendations, as well as make-up and skincare tutorials.

The #tiktokrefugee topic has racked up over 160,000 posts on Xiaohongshu, many of which are videos of American users introducing themselves and asking for tips on how to navigate the app, which they are calling “RedNote”.

An American user with the handle Definitelynotchippy made a video addressed to the Chinese users of Xiaohongshu, explaining why Americans are downloading the app.

“The reason that our government is telling us that they are banning TikTok is because they’re insisting that it’s owned by you guys, the Chinese people, government, whatever,” she said. “And they’re trying to make us think that you guys are bad.”

Chinese users on Xiaohongshu have so far welcomed American users, with some offering to teach them Chinese. Others have offered tips on navigating the Chinese internet. In some cases, Chinese students have asked the Americans for help with their English homework. (AP)