What Happens to Your Social Media Accounts When You Pass Away?

The sudden loss of a loved one can present many unique legal challenges to your family members and those responsible for managing your estate but a common question that has become increasingly important in recent years is what happens to your social media. Social media sites such as Facebook have their own rules about how they you can pass things on to a beneficiary when you pass away.

You need to carefully read their terms of service and ensure that you have followed these and clearly set up the structures inside their website to maximize your chance of effectiveness. Furthermore, it is a good idea to store these passwords in a safer location so that your family members can take action quickly in the event that you were to pass away suddenly.

Having this information stored in a couple of safe places such as directly with your estate planning attorney, can make it easier for your loved ones if something happens to you so that they can carry out your intended wishes for your social media accounts sooner rather than later.

This is important because you may wish them to take action such as saving all of the photos on your account or memorializing the account, if available. Knowing the options you have in front of you, is very important, but planning ahead can make things much easier for your family members when they are already going through a difficult time. Scheduling a consultation with an experienced estate planning attorney in Virginia is often the first step.