Social Media is the highlights reel of our lives. It’s where we share photos, memories, milestones and funny memes. But have you ever wondered what happens to your social media accounts when you die?

Around 30 million Facebook accounts belong to dead people; all leaving behind a digital record of their lives, including photographs, videos and past conversations.

Getting access to social media and email accounts after the death of a loved one can be a legal nightmare. Making it very difficult to get access to important information, photos and messages, even financial documents can be stored on email, inaccessible without a password.

To make it easier for your family to access your emails and social media accounts once you’re gone, it’s important to include your ‘digital assets’ in your Will. Make sure you include a list of passwords for all your email, banking and social media accounts. That way, your executor can access important information and close the accounts permanently. Accounts belonging to the deceased can be a target for hackers because they know, most likely, no one is monitoring these accounts and noticing unusual activity.

If you don’t mention your digital assets in your Will, Australian Law is very vague as to what can be done regarding accessing email and social media accounts following your death. Providing this information can make things a little easier for your loved ones during a difficult time.

You can now add a legacy contact to your Facebook profile. This person can’t edit or delete existing content but after posting a final message, your profile is then memorialised by Facebook.

It’s a great way for family and friends to post memories, photos and videos of you and to celebrate the ‘highlights reel’ of your life for years to come.