Our Childs Digital Legacy WEB VER1.0

One of a series of leaflets published by The Compassionate Friends The memories we have of our children are precious. We preserve physical mementos of their lives – photographs, perhaps their favourite clothes, items from their sports activities or hobbies, pictures they painted, letters they wrote, and much more. Yet today we each also exist in a virtual world – in the electronic memory of a computer, mobile phone or other device, and on the internet, through social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and on blogs and websites. For those of us who lose a child in this era, and particularly if our child had been approaching their teens or was older, it is very likely they will have left footprints in this digital world – what we call their ‘digital legacy.’ It can be just as important to be able to access and preserve this content as to preserve the material reminders of our children. What is a Digital Legacy? If our child was born in 1980 or later, they are considered ‘digital natives’ – that is, they have grown up familiar with technology, the internet, social media, and so on. Children aged five to sixteen now spend an average of more than seven hours a day in front of a screen; young adults presumably even longer. It stands to reason that a quantity of ‘digital footprints’ are being created, both intentionally and inadvertently. A ‘digital asset’ refers to anything that exists or is accessed solely by digital or electronic means. Examples include an online bank account, a company website, a subscription streaming service, PayPal account or an eBay shop. Music and books that have been paid for and downloaded also have a monetary value. This type of digital legacy is beyond the scope of this leaflet; accessing these assets can be complex. If we are in this position it is best to take professional legal and technical advice. Our Child, Social Media and their Digital Legacy