Spotify Lets You Block Kids’ Music From Your Recommendations
▼ Summary
– Spotify is launching managed accounts for Premium Family subscribers in several countries, allowing parents to create a music-only experience for children under 13.
– Parents can filter explicit content, block specific songs and artists, and hide videos on managed accounts to control their children’s listening.
– Managed accounts limit interactivity and block age-gated features like messaging, while still allowing kids to favorite songs and create playlists.
– Children’s listening habits on managed accounts are kept separate from the main account, preventing them from affecting parents’ recommendations or Wrapped results.
– Managed accounts are exclusively available through Spotify’s Premium Family plan, which costs $19.99 per month for up to six accounts at the same address.
For parents seeking greater control over their family’s Spotify experience, the platform is rolling out new managed accounts designed specifically for children. This feature, now available to Premium Family subscribers in several countries including the US, UK, and Australia, provides a dedicated, music-focused environment for kids under the age of 13. It builds upon a pilot program initiated last year, giving parents powerful tools to shape their child’s listening within the main Spotify application.
These managed accounts empower parents to filter out explicit content, block access to specific songs or entire artist catalogs, and disable the video content that sometimes accompanies tracks. Spotify has also restricted interactive elements on these profiles, completely blocking age-gated features like user messaging. This approach differs from the standalone Spotify Kids app by allowing parental curation directly inside the standard Spotify interface that families already use.
Children using a managed account enjoy their own independent Spotify experience. They can freely add songs to their favorites, build personal playlists, and receive tailored music recommendations that evolve with their listening habits. Crucially, all of this activity remains completely separate from the primary account holder’s data. A child’s repeated plays of a particular soundtrack will not influence the musical suggestions or annual Wrapped summaries for the adult on the account, ensuring that parental recommendations stay true to their own tastes.
Access to managed accounts is limited to the Spotify Premium Family plan. This subscription costs $19.99 per month and supports up to six individual Premium accounts for people living at the same address. To set up a managed account, the Family Plan manager simply needs to select the “Add a Member” option on their account page and then choose “Add a listener aged under 13” or the equivalent option for their local market.
(Source: The Verge)
