This influencer family moved states for a 'slower life'. The internet thinks there's another reason.

An influencer in the US has packed up her life and moved states with her family, swapping California for Tennessee. Sounds simple enough, right? After all, people move all the time.

But Brittany Xavier didn't quite expect the internet's reaction.

Here's the thing. Brittany thought her eight million followers would be excited for her family's new chapter. Instead, people are accusing her of relocating to avoid California's new child labour laws.

Yeah, it's a bit messy…

Watch a snippet of Brittany addressing the move. Post continues below.

Brittany and her husband, Anthony, announced their big move in mid-Jan, saying they wanted a "slower pace of life" and to experience four seasons instead of California's never-ending summer.

She shared on TikTok that they chose Tennessee because "we wanted land, we wanted a slower pace of life, we have friends here, and it's got a really good sense of community".

I mean, that all sounds pretty reasonable, right? But it's the timing of her move that seemed a little suss to internet critics.

Brittany's kids feature heavily in her content, and California's new child labour laws, which kicked in on January 1 — just two weeks before Brittany announced their move — mean she would have to set aside some earnings if her children are in her posts.

The laws aim to protect children from potential financial abuse in the "sharenthood" industry and apply to all children under 18. Under the legislation, parents must now keep records of how much time their kids spend in their online content and how much money they make from it.

If children appear in at least 30 per cent of a parent's content, the parent is required to set aside 65 per cent of their child's earnings in a trust that the child can access when they turn 18.

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A post shared by Brittany Xavier (@brittanyxavier)

In a follow-up video, Brittany said the family had originally planned to move in June, after her eldest daughter Jaydn graduated high school. But mould issues in their rental property meant they had to speed up the timeline.

"They found mould in our rental house that we're in at the end of January, so we had to move sooner," she said.

"With the LA fires, rental inventory was already low and there were none in Pasadena that worked for our family. Moving twice in three months didn't make sense, so we moved up our timeline to Tennessee sooner."

The family decided to let Jaydn stay behind in California to finish her final months of school.

"She made that choice," Brittany said. "She was actually really excited to live with her friend for a couple of months. The current plan is for her to move here over the summer. If she comes out and loves it, obviously I'm hoping she wants to move here, but I'm not putting any pressure on her. We trust her to choose what's best for her."

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But the internet isn't convinced. Brittany's comments have been flooded with accusations that the couple moved early and left Jaydn behind to avoid the new child labour laws.

Many have questioned why the family didn't just stay in California while Jaydn finished school, while others criticised Brittany for her apparent support of conservative politics, pointing to her following of far-right figures like Candace Owens and JD Vance.

"Found mould = California implemented child labour laws that requires minors to have a trust fund with 65% of their earned income," one person said.

"Imagine leaving your child in her senior year," another said.

One person alleged: "Child exploitation is so gross and y'all do that to afford the lifestyle you do. We all know why you're moving to Tennessee specifically."

When asked if she was motivated by Tennessee's conservative politics, Brittany replied, "CA leadership is a mess at the moment, they need help. Hoping here has competent leadership, we shall see."

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A post shared by Brittany Xavier (@brittanyxavier)

But not everyone agrees with the criticism.

One supporter said: "It's the way people assumed you wouldn't set your kids up for financial success is wild!"

"I remember you educating Jaydn on investing and I know you'd do that for the kids and you were not moving because of the law. The cancel culture and nasty comments is so unacceptable," another said.

Brittany has outright rejected the claims.

"I've been a full-time content creator since 2015. My income doesn't depend on if my kids are in my videos or not, but we've always made sure to set them up financially regardless," she said.

"The assumption that we moved to avoid paying our children is so laughable considering how many times we've talked about financial planning and investing, not only in our goals but our children's future.

Brittany and Anthony with their children. Image: Instagram/brittanyxavier.

She added: "All of my kids have a Roth IRA [an individual retirement account to which you contribute after-tax dollars], a 529 Plan for education, a trust fund that they get when they're 25 and their inheritance."

"At the end of the day, people are always going to believe what they want."

Ultimately, Brittany and her family's decision to move to Tennessee has sparked plenty of debate, but they're standing by their choice. Whether the timing is purely coincidental, we'll never know.

One thing's for sure: when it comes to Brittany Xavier, there's no shortage of opinions — and she's not afraid to address them head-on.

Feature image: Instagram/brittanyxavier.