What is Lemon8, and is it safe?

As lawmakers across the country try their best to legislate TikTok out of the US, its parent company, China-based ByteDance, has been undeterred and has set its focus on a new app for Gen-Z named Lemon8. The app is surging in the US right now, and as of the time of this writing has over 5 million downloads in the Google Play Store.Lemon8 is not new, but it is for US users. Originally launched in Japan in 2020, Lemon8 is ByteDance’s response to a popular Chinese lifestyle app known as Xiaohongshu (or Little Red Book), which is largely popular with young women. By 2022, Lemon8 amassed over 5 million active monthly users across East Asia and was stealth launched in the US in February of this year as TikTok faced increasing pressure from US legislators over data privacy concerns. As it continues to gain popularity in the States, here’s what you need to know about Tiktok’s sister app. SEE ALSO: As U.S. leaders debate a TikTok ban, lawmakers and creators clash over generational and social differences What is Lemon8?Not to beat a dead horse but every descriptor about Lemon8 calls it “Pinterest meets Instagram.” And it’s true. Combining the best aspects of 2016-era Instagram’s photo sharing with the type of stuff you’d find on Pinterest, Lemon8 is a social media app built for content curation. With an emphasis on photos over videos, Lemon8’s UI is perfect for those who enjoyed the pleasing, curated aesthetics of old Instagram and hated all…What is Lemon8, and is it safe?