Australian influencer family makes extreme decision to avoid social media ban
There's been a boom in influencer families, proving it's no longer just the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Selena Gomez, and MrBeast who can make it big on social media.
Starting out as a nano influencer, who is someone with between 1,000 and 10,000 followers, you then climb through the various tiers until you get to the lucrative 'celebrity influencer' status if you have over a million followers.
Now, one influencer family has made a heartbreaking announcement, confirming that they will soon be flying their usual nest due to new social media laws in Australia.
In an attempt to limit what youngsters are viewing online, Australia has made the controversial decision to ban anyone under the age of 16 from platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X, and YouTube.
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Given that Empire Family is known for posting on Instagram and YouTube, two of their major sources of income could be impacted by the upcoming legislation.
Empire Family is a four-piece group made up of mothers Bec and Beck Lea, son Prezley, and daughter Charli. While Prezley is fine because he's 17, Charli is only 14 and will soon be hit by the social media ban.
After amassing a combined six million followers, the Empire Family has packed their bags and jetted off to the United Kingdom. Considering Charli is a social media star on the rise, she's landed 550,000 subscribers on YouTube, 188,000 on Instagram, and 284,000 on TikTok.
Although these accounts are managed by her parents, the government hasn't made it clear whether Charli's social media presence would be against the rules.
As Prezley has finished school and Charli has made a switch to online education, the mothers decided now was the time to move to London.
In a recent video, Beck Lea explained: "They [the government] haven't defined it exactly, of how it's going to work yet.
"It's a protective thing, and we understand that it's protecting young people from harm on the internet, but we use the internet for good."
The ban is supposed to stop under-16s from being exposed to the 'harmful' impact of social media, while any tech company that doesn't comply could face a fine of $50 million AUD ($32.5 million USD).
Earlier in 2025, YouTube looked to be exempt from the ban until the Australian government reversed its decision. Even though teens under the age of 16 will be able to view videos, they won't be allowed to have a YouTube account.
Defending the decision, Beck Lea continued: "We've been wanting to travel for a while, so now we go to the UK, we can still use our social media, Charlotte can still use her social media, Prezley is over 16, but it just kind of covers us while Australia figures out the logistics of that rule.
"I think there's going to be a lot of hiccups and a lot of ups and downs."
As well as boasting dual British-Australian citizenship, the family specifically chose London because they have a massive UK audience: “We've got our British passports, so we thought why not?”
Empire Family reiterated they aren't against the social media ban and their move 'won't be forever'.
Beck Lea concluded: "We understand that it's very important, that there's young people that are affected negatively from social media,' Beck Lea said.
"We're not naive to that, it's just that how it affects us and the way we use social media, where we would get caught up in the few that use the internet for good.'
Bec chimed in saying: "The world has changed so much now with social media, where young kids can start making a difference for good and starting business at a young age now."