Spotify, following the lead of other tech giants, recently announced the introduction of in-app parental controls called “managed accounts” for listeners under 13 years old. Initially offered as a pilot program in select markets like Denmark, New Zealand, and Sweden, parents or guardians on a Family plan can now manage the accounts of young listeners on their account. This feature allows parents to restrict video watching, content playing, and viewing of explicit Canvas videos that accompany music playback. Parents can also control which artists or tracks their child can access, enabling more granular decision-making on music availability without requiring the use of the more restrictive Spotify Kids app.
This move by Spotify aligns with similar efforts by tech companies like TikTok, Meta, Snap, and YouTube to give parents more control over their kids’ app usage. The increasing regulatory pressure on Big Tech has prompted these companies to introduce more features for parental control. Even popular streamers such as Netflix, Max, and Hulu offer parental control options for concerned parents. Given Spotify’s diverse content, it is important to offer these controls to ensure appropriate content consumption for younger listeners.
Parents sharing an account with their kids may now be encouraged to switch to a Family plan to ensure separate recommendations for each account holder. This separation avoids mixing parents’ and kids’ music preferences, providing more accurate end-of-year Wrapped results. The new feature can be accessed from the Accounts page in the app, where parents can select the option to “Add a listener aged under 13” and follow the instructions to set up the managed account.
