Social media: what happens after you die?

Dealing with the social media accounts of a loved one after they pass can be a daunting and confusing process. More people will need to face this challenge into the future, so we ask: ever wondered what will happen to your social media accounts after you die?

Facebook

There are a few options regarding what will happen to your Facebook account should you pass away. You can elect to have it permanently deleted upon your death or you can add a legacy contact that will look after your account. Both options can be accessed in the Facebook Help Centre settings, or you can read more here.

Instagram

Regarding your Instagram account, you can’t add a legacy contact and instead an immediate family member or representative authorised to act on behalf of your Estate needs to fill in a removal request form in the Instagram Help Centre. This will require providing relevant documentation to have the account removed. You can read more here.

LinkedIn and Twitter

Both LinkedIn and Twitter accounts are similar, with a verified family member or a person authorised to act on behalf of the Estate needing to contact each platform personally to arrange the deactivation of these accounts. Twitter now also has a form submission option in the Twitter Help Centre.

Your wishes as to what will happen to your social media accounts in the event of your death can be captured in your Will, reducing the burden on your loved ones and ensuring accounts are dealt with according to your wishes. If you’d like to update your Will, please don’t hesitate to make an appointment with our team.

*The legal information in this article is of a general nature only and not intended to be legal advice to rely upon

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Digital accounts: what happens after you die?