TikTok Takes Over: Chinese-owned social network spreads to US

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The mobile app taking the social media world by storm this year is China's very own TikTok. And it's not only in China where users are getting addicted to the app's high-quality short-video-making features. CGTN's Phil Lavelle reports from Los Angeles.

Sushi the dog is a big fish on TikTok.

TERESA NGUYEN SUSHI'S OWNER "The reach that you can have on there is just phenomenal."

For her owner, Teresea, Tiktok is a whole new world of opportunity.

TERESA NGUYEN SUSHI'S OWNER "TikTok is super fun and they're growing so fast."

More than a quarter of a million followers gained for this pooch in just a couple of months. But, wait just a second.

PHIL LAVELLE LOS ANGELES "Because first things first, you might be wondering what exactly TikTok is. Simple answer, it's a new social media network. And boy, is it growing fast."

MIKE SINGTON POP CULTURE EXPERT "If you wanna jump on TikTok, now's the time. It has absolutely exploded."

PHIL: "What is it that you prefer about TikTok to the other social media platforms?"

TERESA NGUYEN SUSHI'S OWNER "Well we're also on Instagram and we love it. It's a lot of fun. The community is great. But it's a lot harder to grow, just because it's so competitive. With TT, if you're a new user with no followers, you can make a video that can go viral just from one video."

Tiktok's big selling point is the fact that it's about creating a highly produced short film, rather than just capturing and sharing a moment. And there is one key difference from the other networks, this one is Chinese owned.

MIKE SINGTON POP CULTURE EXPERT "It is unusual for Americans to latch onto a Chinese-owned app so quickly, but they did in this case."

The app is called Douyin in China. Owned by Beijing-based tech company, Bytedance. Which bought the American app, Musical.ly, creating this new TikTok network that's reportedly got 800 million users already.

RYAN WALKER, SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING EXPERT TSMA "It's actually one of the fastest growing platforms out there right now and it's actively competing with Instagram's stories feature."

Which is why the other networks are watching closely. Facebook launching a competitor called Lasso. Previous digital darling, Snapchat's officially added it to its list of competitors.

PHIL: "Is this Snapchat's successor?"

RYAN WALKER, SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING EXPERT TSMA "I would say it's significantly different to Snapchat in the way that Snapchat's more candid. The content on TikTok is much more formal in the sense that it's produced, edited and created in a way that targets a potential audience and could be used to grow an influence."

PHIL: "Is there really room for another social network?"

MIKE SINGTON POP CULTURE EXPERT "There's room for TikTok because it's so fun. I mean, it's so fun, it's addictive. It's positive, it's funny, it's entraining. It's not toxic like a lot of the other social networks can be, it's highly enjoyable."

And it seems even public scandals can't seem to damage TikTok's image: A $5.7 million dollar fine in a U.S case involving children's data privacy. But still riding high in the download charts.

TERESA NGUYEN SUSHI'S OWNER "It just takes one video to blow you up and we've had a couple of videos."

And in the minds of the social-media savvy. Phil Lavelle, CGTN, Los Angeles.