Managing Social Media Accounts After a Loved One has Passed

After a loved one has passed it is more than likely you will be the person to manage all of their social media accounts. Social media has a big impact on our lives and over time has become an important factor that a lot of people have made a part of their lives for social, business and personal matters.

When a loved one has died there is the option of deactivating those accounts and in some cases memorializing the accounts for family and friends to have the ability to posts comments, pictures, and tributes to their loved one.

Here are a few of the popular social media platforms and instructions for moving forward with a deactivation or memorialization:

Facebook:

• Click the account menu at the top right
• Select “Settings”
• Click “Security” in the left column
• Choose “Deactivate Account” – then follow the steps to confirm

Memorialize: You have to have proof of death for the account holder (Death Certificate) – and submit a request to Facebook.

Twitter

• Go to account settings & click on “Deactivate account” at the bottom of the page
• Read over the deactivation information and click “okay”
• Enter the password when prompted to verify the deactivation

Note: The deletion of the account can take up to 30 days as stated in the Privacy Policy. Also, content may still appear in Google and Bing after the deactivation which Twitter has no control over.

Instagram

• Go to the – Delete your Account page (Link brings you directly to this page)
• You must log in to continue with the deletion of the account
• Select an option from the drop-down menu for the reason of deletion
• Re-enter your password
• Click “Permanently Delete Account”

Memorialize: You have to have proof of death for the account holder (Death Certificate) – and submit a request to Instagram

LinkedIn

• Log into your loved one’s LinkedIn account
• Put the cursor over the profile picture in the top right corner
• Go down and click on “Privacy and Settings”
• Re-enter the password if required and click “Account” on the left
• Click “Close Account”
• Confirm deletion of account

When you are placed with the responsibility of managing these accounts, in order to have access you will need login information such as usernames, emails, and passwords. If your loved one has not left these behind, you can contact the platform and explain the situation and reason for deactivating and memorializing.

If you have any other questions or would like to speak to our professionals at, Thomas Gallagher Funeral Home, you can contact us here.