Spotify announced Wednesday brings parent-managed accounts to the free tier for kids. Families in the US, UK, Australia, France, Germany and the Netherlands can now create a ‘Managed Account’ for their children, a feature previously only available to paid subscribers.
“Managed accounts”, which Launched in 2024is a shared account feature that allows parents to control what their children listen to.
Because these accounts are separate, kids’ music choices won’t affect their parents’ algorithm or show up in their annual Spotify Wrapped experience. Kids can add songs to their favorites, create their own playlists and have their own personalized recommendations.
The expansion of Managed Accounts to free users reflects a broader effort by major tech companies to give parents more control over how their children use online platforms and what features are available to them in response to regulatory pressure.
With Managed Accounts, parents can control and restrict playback of specific artists and songs. By default, children cannot listen to music labeled as explicit, and video playback is also disabled by default. Interactive features are also limited in managed accounts, which means kids don’t have access to age-appropriate features like Messages.
Managed Accounts give parents more granular control over the music their child can listen to, without requiring them to use more restrictive music. Spotify Kids program.
To set up a managed account, Family Plan account holders must go to their account page in the app, select “Add Member” and tap “Add listener under 13 (or market equivalent)”. From there, parents will be guided through some steps to set up their child’s account, including choosing a display name and setting content preferences. Parents have the option to make corrections at any time.
Spotify says it plans to bring managed accounts to more countries soon.
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