Personal resources are often the main focus when someone dies and when people draft their estate plans. Whether an individual dies prematurely due to a tragic situation or passes of natural causes at an advanced age, the people left behind when they die have many issues to address.
Social media accounts are often not a top priority, but they do require careful consideration. Family members may find themselves divided about how to handle social media accounts when the user has passed. What generally happens to the social media profiles of people who have recently died?
Each platform has different rules
There are a number of different social media platforms enjoyed by millions of people. Each of those platforms has its own unique user agreements. The terms of service that people usually don’t read before signing up for websites may include provisions about what happens when an individual user dies.
Frequently, the most social media platforms do without legal paperwork in place is to lock down an account and turn it into a memorial page. Occasionally, with the right estate planning measures in place, other people can take control of the social media page.
In some cases, they may decide to make the content private out of respect for the deceased individual. Other times, they may want to continue using the platform as a way to memorialize the individual and communicate with the people who loved them.
People establishing estate plans typically need to consider their wishes regarding social media. They can add terms about control over their accounts to their estate plans. Addressing social media in an estate plan can give surviving family members guidance on what can be an emotional and contentious issue.