Duolingo jumps in on TikTok ban talk with subtle but witty social post

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With TikTok's potential ban in the United States (US) eerily looming over everyone's heads, online language-learning app Duolingo has decided to poke harmless fun to seemingly lighten up the mood.

In an X post on 14 January, five days before the marked date of TikTok's potential ban, Duolingo sarcastically said, "oh so now you're learning mandarin". The X account was seemingly addressing TikTok users who have flocked to Chinese app RedNote, a social networking platform and one of TikTok's competitor.

oh so NOW you’re learning mandarin
— Duolingo (@duolingo) January 14, 2025

Many X users also jumped in on the fun, with some sharing humorous screenshots of their "favourite new apps" on their mobile phones, including RedNote, Duolingo and Google Translate.

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Others shared screenshots of their Mandarin-learning streaks, showing how "prepared" they are for the switch to RedNote from TikTok.

According to BBC, RedNote reportedly has an estimated 300 million monthly users with similar traits from TikTok and Instagram. The app allows users, specifically young women, to share lifestyle tips such as dating and fashion suggestions.

Numerous American TikTok users have begun using the Chinese app, with many stating that they have felt welcomed by other RedNote users as "TikTok refugees".

@also.steph Follow me on Red Note: alsosteph ✅ Who else has already checked out Red Note? #rednote #xiaohongshu #tiktokban #tiktokus #tiktokrefugee #小红书 ♬ original sound - steph

To help users transition seamlessly to the predominantly Chinese-speaking app, Duolingo also release a humorous educational video translating popular and trendy phrases from English to Mandarin.

@duolingo just some good phrases to keep in your back pocket 🫰😌 #duolingo #rednote ♬ original sound - Duolingo

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Duolingo for more information.

In December last year, TikTok inched closer to becoming barred in the US after a federal appeals court panel unanimously upheld a law that could lead to a ban on the video-sharing app by 19 January this year.

The three judges denied TikTok's petition to overturn the law which requires TikTok to break ties with its China-based parent company ByteDance or face a ban. In court documents seen by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, TikTok said that the divestiture is impractical and that it is "more difficult if not impossible".

In addition, TikTok argued that the law singles out TikTok and that a ban would infringe on the First Amendment rights of its users in America.

In response, the judges said that the government has offered "persuasive evidence demonstrating that the act is narrowly tailored to protect national security". The judges also disagreed with TikTok's argument that it infringes on the First Amendment rights of American users adding that the law was "carefully crafted to deal with only control by foreign adversary".

In response to the ruling, TikTok said:

"The Supreme Court has an established historical record of protecting Americans' right to free speech, and we expect they will do just that on this important constitutional issue. Unfortunately, the TikTok ban was conceived and pushed through based upon inaccurate, flawed and hypothetical information, resulting in outright censorship of the American people. The TikTok ban, unless stopped, will silence the voices of over 170 million Americans here in the US and around the world on January 19th, 2025."

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