What to Do With Social Media Accounts After a Death in Singapore

Unlike Singpass — which is automatically deactivated when death is registered — social media accounts remain active until a family member or appointed contact requests otherwise.

This means the deceased's Facebook profile, Instagram account, TikTok, and LinkedIn page continue to exist exactly as they were. Birthday reminders may continue appearing in friends' feeds. Old posts may resurface. The account might receive messages from people who don't yet know.

This can be comforting to some families and distressing to others. What you do with these accounts is a personal decision — and there is no rush.

For the broader digital administration guide see Digital Accounts After Death Singapore.

Most major platforms offer two options:

Memorialisation — the account is converted into a memorial page. Posts and photos remain visible. Friends can leave tributes. The word 'Remembering' appears before the person's name on Facebook. The account cannot be logged into and cannot receive targeted ads.

Removal — the account is permanently deleted. All content is removed. This cannot be undone.

A third option — leaving it as is — is also valid. Some families choose not to engage with this at all, at least in the short term. The account will simply remain dormant.

Facebook and Instagram (both owned by Meta) have the most developed deceased account policies in Singapore.

Memorialisation: Submit a memorialisation request via Facebook's Help Centre with proof of death (death certificate or published obituary). Once memorialised, a Legacy Contact (if the deceased designated one) can manage the page — pinning posts, accepting friend requests, and updating the profile photo.

Removal: Submit a special request for deceased person's account removal via Facebook's Help Centre. Requires proof of death and proof of relationship to the deceased.

If the deceased set up a Legacy Contact while alive, that person has authority to manage the account. Legacy Contacts can be set in Facebook Settings → Memorialisation Settings.

TikTok does not currently have a memorialisation option. The account can be reported for removal by next-of-kin via TikTok's report function.

If the account has a significant number of followers or the content has ongoing emotional importance to the family, consider downloading videos before requesting removal — TikTok does not allow data retrieval once the account is deleted.

LinkedIn can be notified of a member's death via their Deceased Member form (available in the Help Centre). Next-of-kin provide the deceased's profile URL, full name, and a copy of the death certificate.

LinkedIn does not have a memorialisation option — accounts are closed and removed. Processing typically takes a few weeks.

If the deceased used Google products — Gmail, YouTube, Google Drive, Google Photos — their account can be managed through Google's Inactive Account Manager if they set it up while alive.

Without a pre-designated legacy contact, next-of-kin can submit a formal request to Google through their Deceased User form. Google may allow limited data access or account closure upon verification.

Important: before requesting Gmail closure, check whether the email address is linked to important accounts, receives insurance or financial correspondence, or contains irreplaceable communications.

Apple launched a Digital Legacy feature that allows users to designate Legacy Contacts who can request access to their data after death.

If the deceased set up a Legacy Contact: that person can request access to iCloud data (photos, files, notes, messages) using the deceased's Apple ID and a death certificate.

Without a Legacy Contact: Apple's standard policy does not allow account access to next-of-kin. A court order is typically required. This is a significant limitation — families of Apple users who did not set up Digital Legacy may lose access to years of photos.

If you are reading this while pre-planning — set up your Apple Digital Legacy now. It takes two minutes: Settings → [Your Name] → Password & Security → Legacy Contact.

Before closing or memorialising any account, consider downloading: • All photos and videos (Facebook, Instagram, Google Photos, iCloud) • Posts with meaningful comments or tributes from friends • Important messages in Messenger or DMs • Saved posts, lists, or content the person curated

Most platforms have a 'Download Your Data' or 'Transfer Your Information' function accessible from account settings. Do this before requesting account removal — you cannot retrieve data after deletion.