Probate – What to do with your Snapchat when you die?
Share this article...
Dealing with social media accounts is something increasingly important for executors.
An easy way to deal with a Snapchat profile of a deceased person is (like with any social media) to have their login credentials. There is then no need to register the death with Snapchat, simply log in and close the account down.
Can you Memorialise a Snapchat profile?
There is no facility to memorialise a Snapchat profile (in contrast with eg Facebook).
What if you don’t have login credentials?
You can contact Snapchat and ask that they delete the account. They will require proof of your own ID, and proof of the death of the user.
Take a look at their ‘Submit a request’ form to notify Snapchat of the death of a user.
Can a Digital Will cover my Snapchat profile?
Digital wills are becoming quite the talking point around the process of probate. They are not something defined in law. They are not legally binding. And, there is no prescribed format as to how they should look. What they are (potentially) is extremely helpful to your executors as they look to close down your online footprint.
So yes, a ‘digital will’ can be helpful to deal with your Snapchat profile (and any other social media).
What should a Digital Will look like?
Unlike a ‘real will’ (which is governed by the Wills Act 1837) there is no law or otherwise to define how a digital will should look. Its purpose is to provide your executors with the following for all of your online accounts (often now referred to as your ‘digital estate‘):
- login credentials
- wishes – what you want to happen with each profile
Something as simple as a list/table will suffice. Think of it as a cross between a ‘letter of wishes’ and an inventory.
Unless the deceased is a content creator, the social media accounts will have no value, and it is simply a case of ensuring they are all closed down (subject to any memorialisation requested for those accounts that allow it – eg Facebook).
The practical difficulty with a digital will is keeping it up to date. Passwords in particular change so often that keeping a digital will up to date may seem/feel a bit more trouble than it is worth? One way of reducing that burden is to utilise a central password record (i0s or otherwise) which can be kept largely up to date automatically if used correctly, and can prove invaluable to us during our lifetimes in any event!
Dealing with other social media accounts
Read more about what needs to/can happen to happen by clicking on each one below:
- Facebook – they do provide facility for memorialising the profile, as well as nominating a legacy contact during your lifetime.
- Twitter/X – there is no option to memorialise the profile, just close it.
- TikTok – there is no option to memorialise the profile, just close it.
- Instagram – they do provide facility for memorialising the profile.
- Pinterest – there is no option to memorialise the profile, just close it.
- YouTube – there is no opportunity to memorialise the profile.
Free Probate Guide
We hope that you have found this free probate guide helpful. Do check out our site which has hundreds of other articles. Please do remember that they (and any comments left) are guides, NOT legal advice specific to you. But, our team of expert probate lawyers is here to help if you need legal advice. Do reach out by leaving a comment below, calling, or emailing us. A big thank you from all at Team QLAW!
Leave A Comment