Social media app Clapper hyped as ‘TikTok for adults’

A growing social media platform that’s being billed as “TikTok for adults” is garnering applause from new users.

Clapper, a Texas-based company founded by Edison Chen, aims to provide a place where the parents of TikTok users can express themselves, D Magazine reports.

“We want to create a space for the older generations to feel more comfortable,” Chen told the outlet.

On the Apple app store, the download is listed as “17+.” The average user age is 35 to 55, according to the Dallas Morning News.

In an email to The Post on Sunday, Chen wrote that part of the app’s mission was to create “transparency.”

“We are on a mission to create transparency in social media, allowing all creators to be seen, heard and valued in an equitable way that fosters a valuable and enjoyable experience for all users,” Chen wrote.

When users download the app, they are presented with a series of “communities,” like “real estate” or “barbecue.”

They are shown content that relates to those communities, and they can filter videos by location.

“I wanted to create a platform that served this demographic specifically, where they can feel safe, comfortable and welcome to share their content and build a community in a way that was authentic to them,” Chen wrote to The Post.

“I never want our creators to feel forced into creating content that relies on trends, bandwagons or dancing videos. I want them to feel empowered to create content that showcases their real lives and passions.”

The platform, which allows for live video and chat, is described in the Apple app store as “one of the fastest-growing social media platforms focused on promoting real lives around the common man.”

“You can see the latest trends and people’s real lives as they unfold, as well as people’s opinions and talents. FREE to use, NO Ads, No BS just Real lives,” the description continues.

D Magazine noted creators are not paid for views, as they are on TikTok.

There is also no “adult” content on the app, if you know what we mean.

The company was backed with a funding round of $4 million, according to D Magazine.

When it launched in 2020, there were fewer than 10,000 active daily users, with that number increasing to 300,000 this year. The app has achieved 4.3 out of 5 stars in the Apple store.

Clapper is available in 40 countries — but its goal isn’t to compete with TikTok.

“We are so much more than an alternative to TikTok — we are a social media platform all on our own, and know that our users on Clapper love the platform because of its unique community-driven features and inclusive, engaged audience,” Chen wrote to The Post.

“We respect TikTok as a company, and don’t see them as a direct competitor as we have different demographics and styles of content.”

He also highlighted that there were a lot of differences between the two apps – namely, a focus on community building – Clapper plans to host its first “creator social” in Dallas in July.

“There are lots of differences, from us not allowing ads and sponsored posts on the platform, to our fair algorithm that emphasizes organic impressions over virality,” Chen wrote.

“We are specifically built for community building, with features designed to foster friendships and allow our users to make genuine connections based on their unique interests,” he continued.

Chen’s app is rising in popularity amid a call to ban TikTok or force its sale, via a bipartisan bill introduced by Sen. Mark Warner ​(D-Va.), head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.).

The legislation wouldn’t just cover TikTok, but other foreign technology as well, out of concerns these apps could compromise US intelligence or even spread propaganda.

Lawmakers have also raised the issue of content on these platforms being inappropriate for youngsters.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified in March on Capitol Hill about TikTok’s consumer privacy and data security practices, the platform’s impact on kids and the company’s relationship with the Chinese Communist Party.

“I think a lot of risks that are pointed out are hypothetical and theoretical risks,” Chew said. “I have not seen any evidence. I am eagerly awaiting discussions where we can talk about evidence and then we can address the concerns that are being raised.”

Another recently introduced bill would prohibit children younger than 13 from using social media and would require permission from a guardian for users under 18 to create social media accounts.

Social media apps like TikTok, Instagram and Facebook require users to be at least 13 years old.