Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nephew of late President John F. Kennedy, has been banned from Instagram. The social media platform permanently removed Kennedy’s account Wednesday after he repeatedly shared false claims about the coronavirus and the safety of vaccines. In a statement to CNN, a spokesperson for Facebook, which owns Instagram, said, “We removed this account for repeatedly sharing debunked claims about the coronavirus or vaccines.”
Prior to the account’s removal, Kennedy’s Instagram boasted about 800,000 followers. Although Facebook did not specify what content sparked the immediate action, Variety reports that earlier this week, he reposted a conspiracy theory video titled, “Planet Lockdown.” The video was banned not only by Instagram but also Facebook and YouTube. The video falsely claims that the coronavirus vaccine contains microchips and may cause infertility.
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The removal of Kennedy’s account comes as Facebook attempts to combat vaccine misinformation. On Monday, the company announced it was expanding efforts to remove false claims on Facebook and Instagram about COVID-19, coronavirus vaccines, and vaccines in general. In the announcement, the company also shared that it would begin showing links in its “COVID-19 Information Center” to local health websites to help users determine whether they are eligible to get the vaccine and how they can obtain one. The announcement followed a December announcement in which Facebook said it would take down claims about COVID-19 vaccines that have been debunked by public health officials, such as baseless conspiracy theories that they contain microchips. Facebook previously banned misinformation about COVID-19 that “contributes to the risk of imminent violence or physical harm.”
Despite this new effort and his Instagram ban, Kennedy’s Facebook account, which has more than 300,000 followers, remains active, according to CNN. The company spokesperson said there were no plans to take down that page “at this time.”
Kennedy has repeatedly spoken out against vaccines and has lobbied Congress to give parents exemptions from state requirements that mandate they vaccinate their children. Members of his own family, including his sister, brother and niece, have criticized him for spreading false information about vaccines that they said was “tragically wrong.” Along with being the former president of Waterkeeper Alliance, Kennedy is also the chairman of Children’s Health Defense, a not-for-profit group that questions the safety of vaccines. The group was co-founded in 2018 with Kennedy and two parents of “vaccine-injured children.” The group could not immediately comment on Instagram’s actions.
