Empire Family: Perth YouTube stars leave Cottesloe for London to avoid social media ban

An influential family from Perth who traded Cottesloe for London to avoid Australia’s social media ban say they want to let the country “figure out the logistics” while staying online.

Beck and Bec Lea said the decision to move was partly to allow their 14-year-old daughter, Charli, to maintain her one million followers on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram and pursue other opportunities.

The family, including their 17-year-old son Prezley, documents their lives online as the “Imperial Family.”

The kids also have their own accounts, where they post largely wholesome content, from makeup try-ons to skits to toy lightsaber reviews.

In a video shared on YouTube, where the family account has 1.7 million subscribers, Beck said that they did not oppose the impending social media ban, but that this triggered the action.

“It’s a protective thing and we understand that,” he said. “We protect young people from the harms of the internet, but we use the internet for good.

“So when we were looking at this and still going to travel we thought, this is perfect because we have dual citizenship… and we’ve been wanting to travel for a while so now we can go to the UK, we can still use our social media, Charls can use his social media… Australia is figuring out the logistics.

“Because I think there will be a lot of disruptions and a lot of ups and downs.

“We are not against the ban, we understand that it is very important that there are young people who are negatively affected by social media… (but) we get caught up in people using social media for good.”

In Australia, starting from December 10, children under the age of 16 will be banned from having accounts on social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

The world’s first ban is largely an attempt to combat the damage social media is doing to children’s mental health.

However, it is controversial, in part because of concerns that children will find workarounds and because it will prevent under-16s from accessing the positive side of social media, which can be a lifeline for young people isolated by geography or disability.

There are also concerns about the privacy impacts of age verification practices that social media companies will have to implement.

Although most social media platforms have a minimum age of 13, research shows that 84 percent of children ages 8 to 12 use at least one social media platform. About 40 percent of them have their own accounts.

The Perth family’s planned departure follows the emigration of two Queensland-based influencer families earlier this year, both citing the opportunities that exist for content creators outside Australia.

Brent and Molly Orwell, who have a social media feed documenting their travels around Australia, and their two children said they made the move thanks to a combination of the high cost of living, “tall poppy syndrome” and “watching opportunities for entrepreneurs shrink rather than grow”.

The couple has more than 100,000 online followers on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, where they promise to teach others how to get paid for sharing online.

Kat Clark, who has approximately eight million followers on YouTube and publishes sections of her life as a mother and businesswoman, said months ago that she would move to the USA with her husband and 14-year-old daughter.

This was partly to do with social media monetization opportunities in the US that do not exist in Australia; TikTok users, for example, don’t get paid for views like they do elsewhere.

“Some opportunities have arisen in America and we will try it,” he told his followers.

Catherine Archer, social media and strategic communications researcher and lecturer at Edith Cowan University, said she thought the Empire Family’s decision to go abroad to avoid the social media ban would not be an ordinary decision, considering the logistics.

“I think it’s interesting, but at the same time (the movement) gives them another story,” he said. “It gives them a whole new area of ​​content to explore and gives them something else to talk about.

“They said (the ban) wasn’t the only reason, but it would make sense if they were making a significant amount of money from their 14-year-old daughter’s post.

Of course, YouTube is probably the most popular platform for kids under 13 and ages 13-16. . so it makes good business sense.”

Ms Archer said that because Australia had a relatively smaller population, it wasn’t that easy for creators to amass large followings.

He said he did not expect many influencers to move abroad to avoid the ban. Instead, he said, those under 16 are more likely to have their parents moderate their content.

“I think this will happen for most people,” he said. “Unless you have any other motivation, moving out and growing a family is pretty extreme.”