On Tuesday, Spotify announced it is making Managed Accounts available to users in more countries. This shared account feature allows parents to control what their children listen to. Managed Accounts are now rolling out in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, and the Netherlands. This follows a pilot launch that occurred last year.
Managed Accounts are available to Spotify Premium Family plan members. The account holder can manage a separate music-only listening experience for their kids under the age of 13. Because these accounts are separate, a child’s music choices will not impact the parent’s listening algorithm or appear in their annual Spotify Wrapped experience. Children can add songs to their favorites, create their own playlists, and receive their own personalized recommendations.
With Managed Accounts, parents can restrict access to certain features. They can block the ability to watch videos, play content labeled as explicit, or view Canvas videos, which are the looping visuals that appear during music playback. Parents also have the power to control and restrict the playback of specific artists and songs.
Interactivity features are limited on managed accounts. This means children will not have access to age-gated features like messaging. Managed Accounts allow parents to make more granular decisions about the music their child can hear. This provides an alternative to the more restrictive Spotify Kids app.
To set up a managed account, the Family Plan account holder needs to go to their account pages in the app. They should select the “Add a Member” option and then choose “Add a listener aged under 13” or the market equivalent. They then follow the instructions to navigate the various options.
Spotify’s Managed Accounts are already available in several other countries, including New Zealand, Sweden, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Colombia. This wider launch coincides with broader efforts by major technology companies to provide parents with greater control over their children’s online experiences. These changes are often made in response to regulatory pressure.