In recent weeks, Spotify has rolled out several major system-wide changes. It wiped some 75 million AI-generated tracks from the service — and then announced a team-up with ChatGPT for curated playlists. Now, per The Verge, the streaming giant has launched a new parental controls function.
Starting this week, Premium Family subscribers in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and Germany have access to a new managed account option for younger listeners. Designed for users under 13, the music-only plan allows parents and guardians to block explicit songs and disable videos that often accompany tracks. It also comes with limited interactivity — meaning no messaging capabilities and restricted social features. This rollout follows a beta test that launched around the same time last year.
It’s worth nothing that this new function is different from the dedicated Spotify Kids app. That application, according to Spotify, offers a “selection of age-appropriate music, stories, and podcasts.” The managed accounts, meanwhile, let parents/guardians actually curate music access in Spotify without the need for an extra app.
There’s certainly some upsides to this new managed account feature. If you’re worried about your own personalized algorithm, for instance, this function lets kids do their own thing (favorite songs, make playlists, etc.) without ruining your immaculate vibes. Plus, if you’re the kind of parent who wants to expose their kids to music they can bond over, and simultaneously keep them safe from anything deemed unsavory, this curation is an inevitably handy option.
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Over the summer, Spotify launched age verification checks in the UK, leading to some critics accusing the company of aiding censorship efforts and helping to foster a “police state.” Other groups, like the Electronic Frontier Foundation, have said that age verification is actually a “windfall” for big tech platforms, and could harm smaller enterprises while also raising questions of censorship and our continued civil liberties in the digital age.
For now, though, it remains to be seen what other moves Spotify might make regarding age verification and similarly important issues around access. In the meantime, you can subscribe to a Premium Family account for $19.99 per month. Just hit “Add a member” before tapping “Add a listener aged under 13 (or local market equivalent).” But, please, make sure that the first thing you do is curate it so your kids can only listen to Mannheim Steamroller — they’ll love it, trust us.
