Do you have a social media profile? Most Australians do. But very few people think about what happens to those accounts when they’re no longer here.
When someone close to us dies, managing their social media profile is rarely the first thing on anyone’s mind. Yet long after the funeral and the paperwork are over, those accounts often remain online, continuing to appear in searches, memories, birthday reminders and friend suggestions.
Just as we make plans for our finances, property and personal belongings, it’s worth considering what will happen to our digital presence. Social media profiles often contain years of photos, messages, connections and memories, and without clear instructions, managing them can become an unexpected task for family and friends.
Social media is engrained in our lives, and now it will be part of our deaths too. We can plan for that, and it’s worth doing.
Here’s what you need to know:
Facebook will memorialise an account once the platform is notified of someone’s passing. The word “Remembering” appears next to the person’s name, birthday reminders stop, and the profile no longer appears in ads or People You May Know suggestions.
You can nominate a legacy contact now and that person will be able to control your account, accept friend requests, update your profile photo, and download your content on your behalf. You can also choose to have your account deleted entirely upon death. To set this up: go to Settings, then Memorialisation Settings.
When someone passes away, anyone can submit a memorialisation request for their Instagram profile, but you need a link to an obituary or similar proof. A memorialised account is frozen in time: the word “Remembering” appears, no one can log in, and the account is hidden from Explore. Immediate family members or legal representatives can also request full deletion of the account if that’s preferred.
LinkedIn offers two options: account closure or memorialisation. If you’re legally authorised to act on behalf of the deceased, you can close the account. If you’re not, you can still report the profile as deceased and LinkedIn will memorialise it.
X (Twitter)
X does not offer memorialisation. Family members or authorised representatives can request account deactivation or the removal of certain content.
Don’t forget passwords
Having access to account information can make managing a person’s digital presence significantly easier. Consider storing important login details securely and ensuring a trusted person knows how to access them if required. It’s also worth including digital assets and account instructions as part of your broader estate planning.
A small task that can make a difference
Setting up your digital legacy only takes a few minutes, but it can make things simpler for the people responsible for managing your affairs in the future.
Like any form of planning, it’s not something most of us expect to need anytime soon. But having a plan in place means your wishes are clear, and your online presence can be handled the way you intended.
