An Australian influencer family is moving to the United Kingdom to avoid the upcoming social media ban for under-16s in their country.

The “Empire Family” — made up of mums Beck and Bec Lea, their 17-year-old son Prezley, and 14-year-old daughter Charlotte — announced their move from Perth to London. The family is well-known online for sharing videos about their daily life, travels, and fun moments.

Australia’s new law, set to take effect in December, will ban children under 16 from having social media accounts on major platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, and X. The rule is aimed at protecting young people from online harm. Companies that fail to follow it could face fines of up to A$50 million.

The government has not yet explained how the ban will be enforced. Possible methods include checking ID cards, using facial recognition, or requiring parental consent — all of which have raised privacy and accuracy concerns.

YouTube was originally not part of the ban, but the government later included it. Teens under 16 will still be able to watch videos but not upload or comment, since that requires an account.

In a video explaining their decision, Beck said the move was not a protest against the ban. She said they supported the idea of protecting children but wanted their daughter to continue her online career.

“We understand it’s to protect young people,” she said. “But we use the internet for good. The rules aren’t clearly defined yet, so we don’t know how it will actually work.”

Her wife, Bec, added that social media has evolved and that many young people are now using it to create positive change.

Their daughter Charlotte, who goes by Charli online, has nearly half a million followers on YouTube, 300,000 on TikTok, and almost 200,000 on Instagram. Her parents manage all her accounts.

Prezley, their son, runs a YouTube channel with 2.8 million subscribers, while the family’s joint channel has 1.8 million followers. Their videos feature family trips, gaming, and lifestyle content.

The family also said that their dual citizenship made it easy to relocate. Charlotte recently switched to online schooling, giving them more freedom to live anywhere.

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