<?php
$a = 'hello @user how are you';
$b = 'RT @user how are you';
$regex = '/(?<!RT)\s@([a-z0-9]{1,20})/i';
$aa = preg_match('/(?<!RT)\s@([a-z0-9]{1,20})/i', $a);
$bb = preg_match('/(?<!RT)\s@([a-z0-9]{1,20})/i', $b);
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