What happens to social media accounts after you die?

FILE – Social media apps are displayed on an iPhone on March 13, 2019, in New York. In a lawsuit filed Tuesday, April 9, 2024, two tribal nations accused social media companies, including Facebook and Instagram’s parent company, Meta Platforms; Snap Inc. from Snapchat; ByteDance, parent company of TikTok; and Alphabet, owner of YouTube and Google, of contributing to the disproportionately high suicide rates among Native American youth. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, file)

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Let’s be honest, planning our death isn’t something most of us like to think about. There is the will, designating among other things a power of attorney as well as a health care proxy. But it’s also necessary to think about what will happen to our social media accounts when we move on.

We recently sat down with Jennifer Dancu, owner of Tech Ed 4 All, to discuss why our online accounts should be a concern.

“We hear about hacked accounts all the time,” Dancu told 6 News. “The accounts are hacked. They make a copy of it and then send it to everyone. Here is a new friend request from this person.

Unfortunately, the opportunity to have deceased accounts is becoming more and more common. Virtual private network ExpressVPN noted in March 2024 that “659 million deceased accounts are expected by 2100, nearly double the size of the U.S. population.”

This means more chances for hackers to set up shop and impersonate you on social media long after you’ve left.

“It’s very concerning to see this happening,” Barbara Edwards said. She knows all too well that sinking feeling when someone’s social media account is hacked after their death.

“Recently I received a friend suggestion from a friend of mine who passed away in 2012. And it was really scary to see her photo pop up. It was a photo of her with one of her grandchildren. It was just scary to see that when she passed away in 2012.”

So what should we do?

Just as you would make arrangements to meet your financial and end-of-life wishes, plan your social media accounts, from Facebook to Instagram and more. Next, make sure people you trust have access to it.

“It’s really important that you have everything written down and that it’s easy for that person. Less stressful,” Dancu said.

One way to do this is to create a spreadsheet. A plan that Barabara Edwards and her husband came up with after the death of a family member.

She explained: “In our situation, my husband’s sister died and she had no documentation to prove anything. My husband spent about six months after her death dealing with all of this.

Edwards emphasized that in addition to the usual information, social media information should be included.

“Some information in this spreadsheet relates to your Facebook account. Your login and password. That kind of information someone would need to deactivate a social media account,” she said.

When it comes to deactivating or editing a deceased person’s social media page, go directly to the source for “how-to” instructions. Dancu shared that you can find this on each account’s settings page.

“It’s important to have this discussion with parents or grandparents,” Dancu said. “What do they want to do with their accounts? And to get this information. Their login information. Their emails or phone numbers are associated with the account and passwords. To have them so you can act on their behalf. If you don’t have this, you can spend months. »

For more information, you can contact Jennifer Dancu and Barbara Edwards with Tech Ed 4 All at www.socialmedia4seniors.net.