[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.24.0″ _module_preset=”default” min_height=”1355.3px” custom_margin=”||-391px|||” custom_padding=”0px||0px||true|false” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” global_colors_info=”{}” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.24.0″ _module_preset=”default” min_height=”380.3px” custom_margin=”-89px|auto|-306px|auto||” custom_padding=”53px||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.24.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.0″ _module_preset=”default” min_height=”69px” custom_margin=”31px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Spotify is a digital music streaming service, offering access to millions of songs, podcasts, and audio from artists all over the world. It\u2019s on-demand radio for the streaming era, with the added bonus that over time, it becomes tailored to your listening interests, suggesting music, artists, and topics you might like, while curating playlists based on your listening history. Kids and adults alike love it for its ease of use, quick access to a vast online library of audio, and its high level of customization – but Spotify is also home to some hidden risks that parents need to explore.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” min_height=”48px” custom_margin=”||-12px|||” custom_padding=”18px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”25px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n With the basic (free) version of Spotify, kids can listen to the full library of music and podcasts, but with breaks for ads, and they\u2019ll only be able to press the \u201cskip\u201d button a few times before it stops them from jumping from song to song. The free version also shuffles playlists, and you can\u2019t listen offline. Why is this important? With kids\u2019 listening in shuffle mode across a huge variety of songs, genres, and artists, <\/span>it\u2019s difficult for parents to keep track of what they\u2019re listening to<\/b>, and whether they\u2019ll be served with songs, ads or podcasts where the lyrics or content is inappropriate for their age.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Spotify does have a premium version, where parents may feel more in control: the paid subscription removes ads and skip limits, playlists are no longer shuffled, and kids can listen offline. Premium subscribers in some countries also have access to a range of audiobooks, which aren\u2019t available in the free version<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||22px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n Long gone are the days when you could avoid songs or a whole album by vetoing any purchase with a \u201cParental advisory: Explicit content\u201d label. Through Spotify, kids have access to a huge library of music with uncensored, graphic lyrics, podcasts discussing mature themes, and sexually inappropriate content. And just like most spaces on the internet where large numbers of users can edit, upload, and interact with content, Spotify contains adult content, which is relatively easy to find or stumble across. <\/span>Kids can find explicit album art, porn audio, and erotic podcasts<\/b> across the platform.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Beyond music, Spotify is also host to a wide variety of podcasts and audio content, which cover a range of topics – not all of them child-friendly or age-appropriate. Discussions about adult relationships, substance abuse, violence, mental health challenges, and other complex subjects that aren\u2019t appropriate for every age often feature in podcast content.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Like most entertainment and social applications these days, Spotify\u2019s recommendation engine is designed to keep you listening – and it\u2019s good at serving you exactly the kind of music and content you\u2019re likely to enjoy. But this same system that understands our likes and dislikes, and serves up positive recommendations such as motivational content, or lifestyle tips, can gradually serve more extreme material.<\/p>\n A child who listens to a podcast touching on conflict or crime might be served darker, more gory content<\/strong>, while – particularly for young boys – listening to content about sports, or fitness can gradually serve up more extreme ideologies, such as \u201cmaximizing\u201d their appearance: or \u201clooksmaxxing<\/a>\u201d as it\u2019s known online.\u00a0<\/p>\n Spotify\u2019s social features, like public playlists, collaborative playlists, and messaging,<\/span> might leave young users open to inappropriate interactions. With people all over the world able to access Spotify, and create custom playlists, <\/span>these can be channels for adults to contact unsuspecting children<\/b>. One UK mother reported that <\/span>a stranger had used Spotify playlists<\/span><\/a> to communicate with her 11-year-old daughter, changing the title and description of the list to encourage her to send explicit photographs by uploading them as the playlist\u2019s featured image.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In August 2025, Spotify launched a direct messaging feature, allowing users to share music, podcasts, and audiobooks inside the app. In January 2026, this feature expanded to include group chats of up to 10 people. Spotify requires users to accept a message request before starting a conversation, and chats are limited to people users have previously interacted with (for example, through collaborative playlists), meaning in theory strangers can\u2019t contact your child. However, it does provide another channel for contact that parents should be aware of, especially with group chat dynamics <\/span>that can be problematic for bullying<\/span><\/a>, and make kids feel they\u2019re \u201cmissing out\u201d if they\u2019re not involved.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Spotify blocks users from under 16 accessing direct messages<\/strong>, but this relies on children either entering their real date of birth, or going through an age check process that scans your child\u2019s face to provide an age estimation. Both these methods can be skirted, and in the case of age-estimation, <\/span>are not always accurate<\/span><\/a> – meaning a 15-year-old could be verified as 18+ without parents knowing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Spotify has worked to improve its parental controls, but they come with some important limitations. Through a Premium Family plan, parents can set up a managed account for children under 13, which gives them access to a \u201cmusic-only\u201d experience with explicit content filters, and control over playback of individual artists or tracks. Video features are disabled, and these accounts have no access to messaging features. In some markets, this is available on the Free tier – check your region to see if managed accounts are available.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If your child is over 13, these filters and restrictions don\u2019t apply<\/b>. You can adjust settings to filter out explicit content and messaging permissions, but these are simply settings, and your teen can switch them back on.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n For younger children, a dedicated experience called Spotify Kids offers a more contained alternative – it\u2019s a separate app with age-appropriate content and stricter controls – but it\u2019s not available worldwide.<\/span><\/p>\n Spotify collects user data, including listening habits, device information, and location data (if permitted), which may raise privacy concerns. Users should familiarize themselves with the platform’s <\/span>Privacy Policy<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Terms of Use<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>User Guidelines<\/span><\/a> to ensure they are comfortable with their content.<\/span><\/p>\n Linking Spotify to social media accounts, such as Facebook, X, or Instagram, can enable the platforms to share user information reciprocally, including profile details, contact lists, and online habits, creating potential data-sharing risks which could lead to targeted advertising or the exposure of personal information on platforms the user may not have intended.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/static.qustodio.com\/public-site\/uploads\/2025\/03\/18094141\/2025-03-Blog_IsSpotifySafeForKids_InsideImage.png” alt=”Mother helping daughter set parental controls on Spotify music streaming on iPad” title_text=”2025-03-Blog_IsSpotifySafeForKids_InsideImage” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.24.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Depending on your child\u2019s age, there are different ways you can make Spotify safer for them to enjoy and explore. Across the age groups, it\u2019s generally a good idea – if you can – to choose a premium subscription, managed account, or use Spotify Kids if it\u2019s available in your region. This will allow you to <\/span>give young kids a more age-appropriate experience, or enforce explicit content filters<\/b>. However, even if you can\u2019t do this, there are still ways you can make Spotify safer for children and teens. <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n 1. Make custom playlists<\/b><\/p>\n An easy way to ensure your child listens to music that you\u2019re happy with is by creating playlists – which can also be turned into a family activity, where each family member curates music lists to their taste. You can add new songs over time, and there\u2019s no limit to the number of playlists you can create. Alternatively, if you don\u2019t have time, or don\u2019t want to create your own, <\/span>you can explore the huge library of custom playlists and follow them<\/b> from your child\u2019s account.<\/span><\/p>\n 2. Follow podcasts and artists<\/b><\/p>\n To help shape your child\u2019s algorithm, it\u2019s a good idea to <\/span>follow podcasts or artists that they enjoy, or that you think provide value<\/b>. Similarly, you can hide artists by selecting \u201cDon\u2019t play this artist\u201d from their profile, and adjust the algorithm by selecting \u201cNot interested\u201d on recommendations, or \u201cRemove this from my taste profile\u201d on playlists. This will help shape their feed, and give them recommendations that are more likely to align with your values, and their interests.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 3. Filter out explicit content<\/b><\/p>\n Filtering explicit content is easiest when using a paid subscription like a Family plan, but depending on your region, managed accounts may be available on Spotify\u2019s free service – check your account settings to see what\u2019s available.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If you don\u2019t have a premium account, or have a child over 13, you\u2019ll need to filter content using the settings. On mobile, tap your child\u2019s profile picture, then \u201cSettings and privacy\u201d. Under the \u201cContent and display\u201d section, toggle on or off \u201cAllow explicit content\u201d. On desktop, the process is the same, except under \u201cSettings\u201d you\u2019ll need to find \u201cExplicit content\u201d and toggle off \u201cAllow playback of explicit-rated content\u201d.\u00a0 <\/span>You may need to keep checking these settings<\/b>, as kids can also switch it back on.<\/span><\/p>\n 4. Monitor social sharing<\/b><\/p>\n While it\u2019s fun to see what friends and others are listening to, and Spotify\u2019s social features can make listening a more collaborative experience, it makes sense to<\/span> check in on who your child is connected to<\/b><\/a> and block anyone they don\u2019t know in real life<\/b>. You can also make playlists private, making it more difficult for their profile to show up in any search results. If your child is 16 or over (or if they\u2019ve entered a date of birth that makes them appear older), Spotify\u2019s messaging feature will also be available to them. You can disable this in their account settings, but they can turn it back on, so it\u2019s important you speak about healthy messaging habits and let them know they can come to you if anything upsets them in<\/span> any<\/span><\/i> online chat.<\/span><\/p>\n 5. Set healthy limits<\/b><\/p>\nWhat can kids do on Spotify? <\/strong><\/h2>\n
Spotify: the risks parents need to know<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Explicit content<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Inappropriate content<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Algorithmic recommendations<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Social features<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Direct messaging<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Limited parental controls<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Privacy and security<\/strong><\/h3>\n
5 ways to make Spotify safer for kids and teens<\/strong><\/h2>\n