LEMON8: SOUR NOT SWEET: Lemon8: NOT the sweet summer drink but a sour threat… Parents, watch out! Lemon8 is TikTok’s sister company and owned by the same Chinese company, ByteDance. It is growing exponentially in popularity amid the threat of a TikTok ban.
Lemon8, which has the same data, privacy and content concerns as TikTok, is seeing a surge in popularity, with many TikTok creators being paid to promote the platform and share how to seamlessly create a Lemon8 account through a current TikTok account.
In December 2024, 70 percent of Lemon8’s downloads were U.S. users. Lemon8 brags that their algorithm is similar to TikTok’s, which poses a risk to minors for promoting videos that glamorize self-harm, eating disorders and other inappropriate content. Parents should be wary of allowing their children to create accounts on Lemon8.
RedNote? RedNOPE: RedNote, another Chinese owned app owned by Xingin Information Technology, is also receiving a flock of TikTok users amid the potential ban. RedNote has been one of the top free downloaded apps in the United States with over 700,000 new users joining in a two-day span in January. Its Chinese name “Xiaohongshu” translates to “Little Red Book” in English, a phrase which refers to a collection of sayings by Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong.
These apps, which are being marketed as TikTok alternatives, carry similar risks to users and kids.
TIPS FOR PARENTS
OTHER NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW
PRESIDENT TRUMP ISSUES EXECUTIVE ORDER PROTECTING CHILDREN UNDER 19 FROM SEX CHANGE TREATMENTS AND PROCEDURES: President Trump issued an executive order protecting children from dangerous medical interventions and life-altering surgeries. The executive order aims at cutting federal support for gender transitions and treatments for children under 19. Read more here.
RON JOHNSON REINTRODUCES BILL TO BAN MEN IN WOMENS SPORTS IN SCHOOLS: Senator Johnson reintroduced the “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act,” which would amend Title IX, the federal law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in K-12 schools and colleges receiving federal funds based on biological sex. Read more here.
ENGLAND HOCKEY BANS BIOLOGICAL MALES FROM FEMALE LEAGUES: England Hockey will remove biological men from playing women’s hockey based on evidence showing that males have a biological advantage with their strength, endurance, speed and acceleration. Along with male and female, a new competition category will be created called “open,” which will be open to all athletes including transgender and non-binary athletes. Read more here.
META UPDATES POLICY, REJECTS WOKE LANGUAGE: Following the Presidential election, Meta updated its community standards allowing the use of speech online using sex or gender exclusive language “in the context of discussing political or religious topics, such as when discussing transgender rights, immigration, or homosexuality.” Meta will also now rely on users to report content containing self-harm, bullying and harassment. Read more here.
PARENTS FACE MILLION-DOLLAR BARRIERS TO SCHOOL TRANSPARENCY: Parents seeking school transparency are being hit with exorbitant fees, like Michigan mom Elizabeth Clair, who was charged over $33 million for a public records request. Clair’s request for emails on anti-retaliation policies followed a $200,000 lawsuit settlement against the district for tracking parents critical of COVID policies. Other parents faced similar roadblocks, such as a $25 million fee for curriculum records or redacted documents after FOIA requests. Schools often exploit legal loopholes to deny access, while some label parents as “antagonistic” or even sue them for “vexatious requests.” Despite these challenges, parents are turning to lawsuits or joining school boards to push back against the secrecy. Read more here.
Thanks for reading the latest edition of the American Parents Coalition’s The Lookout. If you have a troubling story to share about a school, doctor, company, or other institution working to usurp parents’ rights, please let us know by emailing us at [email protected].
