What is Spotify?

Spotify is the most popular audio streaming service in the world. In addition to listening to music, users can also access podcasts, audiobooks and video streaming.

With over 100 million tracks on the platform, users will never run out of content and can find music that suits their taste. The Spotify algorithm also suggests songs and playlists that reflect the user’s listening history, helping them find new music they’ll enjoy.

Spotify is available on most devices, including:

• iOS and Android
• Smart speakers
• Smart TVs
• Gaming consoles
• PC app
• In-browser

It is free to download, although a premium subscription is available for £12.99/month for individuals or £17.99/month for two accounts. A Family plan covering up to six accounts is also available for £21.99/month. Spotify Premium allows users to download content for offline listening and removes ads from their listening experience.

Minimum age requirements

Users must be at least 13 years of age to create a Spotify account. Users under the age of 13 may use the platform under parental supervision as a part of a Family plan. An alternate version of Spotify, Spotify Kids, is designed for children aged 4-12.

Spotify asks for the user’s date of birth during account creation. A child under 13 could input a fake older age to create an account. Spotify is trialling an age verification process to prevent younger users from accessing 18+ content, but this is not always applied. If your child is under 13 and wants to use Spotify, consider setting up a Family plan so that you can prevent them from accessing content intended for older users.

Spotify allows users to listen to a range of music, audiobooks and podcasts. There is a wide range of content, and Spotify will track users listening to suggest similar content for future listening. The user experience varies according to the type of subscription the account has.

Account types

Free accounts allow users to access all the audio content on the platform. However, adverts will be played in-between songs and during videos. Free users will only be able to listen to songs while connected to the internet and have limits on how often they can skip songs. The audio is also of a lower quality than that available to premium users. Overall, while free users can access all content, their listening experience is more restricted.

Premium accounts can access all content without adverts, although they may still receive advertisements during podcasts from the podcast’s sponsors. They can download content to listen to while offline and can access higher audio quality. A big benefit of a premium subscription to a Family plan is that it allows parents to prevent their child from accessing explicit content, giving the child a safer Spotify experience.

Explicit content

Some Spotify content is intended for 18+ audiences. This includes songs which feature explicit language and podcasts that discuss inappropriate topics. This content is marked with an ‘E’ tag to denote that it features explicit content.

However, this tagging is not perfect. A song could have inappropriate themes but not use any actual offensive language that would result in it being marked explicit. Some podcasts might also cover inappropriate topics without being correctly tagged as explicit. Additionally, the cover art for songs and albums does not always play a part in the content labelling, so children might be exposed to inappropriate artwork.

Messages

On the mobile app, users can message other accounts. Users can share songs and other content with others and can also send text messages. Group chats can also be created, allowing multiple users to share a chat.

When someone messages another user for the first time, the recipient will receive a message request and they can choose to accept, block, or delete it. The messaging feature can be disabled within Spotify’s settings.

With a Spotify Family plan, you can disable explicit content on your child’s account or create a Spotify Kid’s account for them to prevent them from accessing inappropriate content.

Other features, like messaging, can be disabled within account settings. However, these are not parental controls, meaning your child could re-enable these features without your permission.

Learn how to set parental controls on Spotify.

• Access to millions of songs, audiobooks and podcasts
• Separate ‘Spotify Kids’ for younger users
• Ability to disable explicit content on Family plan
• Discovering new genres and expanding music taste

If your child wants to use Spotify, this advice can help them have a safe experience with the platform.

Subscribing to a Family plan will allow you to create a Spotify Kids profile for your child. This is the safest way to use Spotify, as Spotify Kids only features content that is appropriate for children, and has more in-depth parental controls than the main Spotify platform. For older children who wish to use regular Spotify, Family plan will also allow you to disable explicit content on their account, preventing them from listening to content intended for adults.

Even with the explicit content filter activated, children can still be exposed to inappropriate cover art or podcasts. Consider creating playlists alongside your child with content that is appropriate for them and encourage them to listen to these pre-approved playlists rather than listening to ones created by other users.

Within the account settings, users can disable the messaging feature. Encourage your child to do this to prevent them being contacted by strangers. As this is not a parental control, the feature can be re-enabled by your child without your knowledge. Have regular conversations with your child about their digital life to help you stay aware about anyone they are interacting with online.

Spotify users can add information to their account, such as a profile picture and a bio. Teach your child about the dangers of oversharing online and encourage them to set their profile and playlists to private, keep personal information out of their bio and avoid using a picture of themselves as their profile picture.