Spotify Extends Parent-Managed Accounts to Free Plan Users

Spotify has announced the extension of parent-managed accounts to users utilizing the free service. The feature, called Managed Accounts, was introduced in 2024 and was initially reserved for paid subscribers. From now on, families using the Free plan will be able to create a dedicated profile for their children in selected markets.

The novelty is available in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. The goal is to provide parents with more effective tools to control the musical content accessible to minors while maintaining a personalized experience for each family member.

Managed accounts are separate from those of adults. This means that children's musical preferences do not influence the parents' recommendation algorithms and are not included in the annual summary Spotify Wrapped. Young users can still create personal playlists, save favorite tracks, and receive music suggestions tailored to their tastes.

What are the features of "Managed Accounts" on Spotify?

Through Managed Accounts, parents have the option to limit or block the playback of specific artists and songs. Additionally, content marked as explicit automatically becomes unavailable. Video playback is also disabled by default, while some interactive features are restricted. For example, accounts dedicated to minors cannot use age-restricted tools, such as the messaging system.

Spotify emphasizes that this solution represents a less rigid alternative to the Spotify Kids app. Children can indeed continue to use the main experience of the platform, but with more detailed and customizable controls from adults.

To set up a Managed Account, the Family Plan holder must access the section dedicated to their account in the application, select the option to add a new member, and choose the category for users under 13 years old, or the equivalent age set in their country. During the procedure, it will be possible to define the child’s display name and set preferences for content, which can be modified at any time.