Last updated: July 18, 2026
Butterfly Forever exists to hold space for grief, memory, and celebration of life. Many of the people using this platform are going through one of the hardest experiences a person can go through. These guidelines exist to keep that space safe, respectful, and genuinely helpful — not as a list of rules for their own sake.
No bullying, hate speech, threats, or targeted harassment of any member, based on any personal characteristic or otherwise.
Don't create an account or memorial pretending to be someone you're not, or falsely claim to be a family member or Memory Keeper of someone you have no connection to.
No sexual content, graphic violence, or content that sexualizes or otherwise endangers minors, under any circumstance.
Don't use memorials, forums, comments, or messages to advertise unrelated products or services, or to solicit money outside of the platform's own Virtual Gifts feature.
We remove content that encourages or provides instructions for self-harm or suicide. If you're worried about someone, please see Section 9.
Memorials are meant to honor someone's life. We ask that tributes, photos, and stories be truthful and respectful of the person being remembered and their family. The Memory Keeper who created a memorial has final say over what appears on it — they can decline photo contributions, remove tributes, and adjust privacy settings. If you disagree with how a memorial is being kept, please reach out to the Memory Keeper directly first; Butterfly Forever generally won't intervene in family disagreements about memorial content absent a policy violation or a valid legal request.
Only accepted friends of a Memory Keeper can contribute photos to a memorial — this friend-first requirement exists specifically to keep contributions coming from people the family actually knows. Contributed photos enter a pending review pool; nothing appears publicly until the Memory Keeper approves it. Please only contribute photos and content you have the right to share, and that you believe the family would want included.
Tribute videos very often carry a meaningful song, which we understand. If you link a YouTube video, please be aware that YouTube's own copyright system (Content ID) may block that video from playing here if it contains music the rights holder has restricted from third-party embedding — this is outside our control. If that happens, consider uploading the video file directly instead of linking it. Please don't upload copyrighted music or video you don't have the rights to use.
If you see something that concerns you — on a memorial, in a comment, in the forums, or anywhere else — use the Report button on that content. Reports are reviewed by our team; you don't need to justify or explain extensively, just flag it and we'll take it from there.
Depending on severity, we may hide or remove the content, leave a note for the member explaining why, or apply a trust status to their account:
We aim to be fair and proportionate, recognizing that people in grief don't always express themselves perfectly — but we'll always act to protect the safety of the community.
Butterfly Forever is a memorial platform, not a crisis or mental health service. If you or someone you know is in crisis or experiencing thoughts of suicide or self-harm, please reach out to a local emergency service or crisis line right away:
In Canada: Call or text 988 (Suicide Crisis Helpline) — available 24/7.
In the United States: Call or text 988 (988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline).
Elsewhere: please search for your local emergency or crisis line, or contact local emergency services.
For grief support specifically, a grief counselor, your family doctor, or a local bereavement organization can help in ways we're not equipped to.