The seemingly temporary TikTok ban in the US may have a surprising effect on language exchange. For instance, the learning app Duolingo has reported a sharp user increase for its Mandarin courses. Meanwhile, the Chinese app Xiaohongshu, which many US TikTok users have switched to, is apparently desperately looking for content moderators who are proficient enough in English to filter out critical content. Another, touching effect: Chinese students used to have to write fictional letters to American friends for their English exams. Now they re-upload their letters on Xiaohongshu – and American users reply.