Is Spotify Safe For Kids ?
Is Spotify 12+ or R18+?
Spotify is hosting Banned content
I have received reports from parents and child safety experts that Spotify is hosting explicit music and podcasts, despite the company's terms and conditions, which prohibit such content on their platform. Explicit playlists are also being used to groom young people. It appears that Spotify has been informed about this issue for some time but has not yet taken action to address it.
Edit: I’ve just added the video below about how Groomers are connecting with children via Spotify. Thanks to https://www.instagram.com/thetiktokadvocate/ and our friend at Safe4Kids, Holly Ann Martin, for sharing this horrifying update.
What about parental controls or filters?
With many parents allowing their children to sign up for Spotify, all parents must be made aware of the easily found explicit content that is not being entirely blocked via the “Explicit” Opt out setting available on the platform via settings or the parental controls via the “Family Plan” subscription.
Unfortunately, the “Parental Controls” blocking explicit settings is letting a huge amount of explicit content through. Including sexual content that includes teen abuse and sexual abuse.
How easy is it to find explicit content
It is very easy to find explicit content on Spotify. By searching for terms such as "sex," one can find playlists and podcasts with explicit language, descriptions, and images. Even if the "explicit content filter" is turned off, the titles and descriptions of the explicit media are still visible. Comments under episodes and playlists can also be accessed without the explicit content filter, which can contain explicit language. The filter to block explicit content is inconsistent, as many content unloaders do not label their content as explicit, and the titles and descriptions can still be explicit.
Reporting explicit media on spotify
Reporting explicit content on Spotify is very difficult. You have to go to a link either in settings or through the content you want to report, scroll down and click the reporting link, enter the URL, fill out the report and verify your email address. It's not easy, and even if you report one thing, it probably won't make much of a difference since there's so much explicit content getting through the filter anyway.
What can parents do?
The 12+ version of Spotify should not be considered safe for younger teens or children. A Premium Family Spotify Plan costs $18 per month and allows for up to six users. With this plan, you can either use the Spotify Kids app or set the explicit filter, but as previously mentioned, the filter may not be effective enough to block all explicit content. According to reviews by Commonsense Media, even on the Family Plan, explicit content is still accessible because some uploaders are not properly labelling their media as explicit.
Spotify Kids
Spotify offers a paid subscription service called "Spotify Kids", which allows parents to curate and monitor the content their children listen to. However, some reviews have reported that some mature language may be present in the content. It is generally considered a safer option than simply using the "Explicit" filter on the regular Spotify app. It is recommended that parents select the content for their children rather than allowing them to choose for themselves. You can check the review of Commonsense Media for more details.
A safer option might be signing up for Apple Music, as Apple has very good restrictions enabled via their “parental control” settings.
Check Commonsense Media for reviews.