Spotify Tests ‘Managed Account’ with Parental Controls in Selected Countries

In an official announcement earlier this month (September 2024), Spotify introduced the ‘Managed Account,’ designed for children under 13 or the equivalent age in terms of regulations and laws in each region.

Parents and guardians on the family account in the selected countries can create a dedicated account for their children. Within the account, they can prevent the children from watching videos or listening to in-app content labeled ‘explicit.’ Additionally, they are able to determine what artists and tracks their child can or cannot listen to without acting too restrictive and imposing too much control.

This can be especially useful to parents or guardians of children close to the age of 13, offering them a balance between control and freedom. For younger children, Spotify Kids remains available as a standalone app offering curated content specifically for children, including music, audiobooks, lullabies, and bed stories, along with advanced parental controls.

Spotify’s move follows in the footsteps of other tech companies like Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube, all of which aim to provide parents with more control over how their children use these apps, what features they have access to, and what content they generally consume. Streaming platforms like Hulu and Netflix also offer parents control options.

Given Spotify’s vast library, some content may not be appropriate for young listeners. Managed Accounts may help parents shield their children from listening to tracks containing explicit lyrics or watching explicit music videos. Additionally, each account under the Family plan is treated individually, meaning recommendations are received separately for adults and children. This way, an adult’s music taste and choices will not influence their child.

Access to the new account feature is available to parents from the Accounts page, where they can select the option ‘add a listener aged under 13.’ and then follow the instructions to customize the account settings.