Spotify: Music and Podcasts
Watch riskMusic streaming is safe — but podcasts and audiobooks leak explicit content past Spotify’s filter. Use Spotify Kids for under-13, not the main app.
Ages 13–15Ages 16+
| Minimum age | 13 |
|---|---|
| Strangers can contact | No |
| Location sharing | No |
| Disappearing messages | |
| Parental visibility | Limited |
Spotify is a music and podcast streaming service with a free ad-supported tier and a paid Premium subscription. Music playback is reliably filterable using the Explicit Content toggle. The actual risk surface is elsewhere: podcasts are uploaded by third parties who self-tag explicit content and many don’t, and audiobooks (added in 2024) include erotic fiction that has surfaced to kids through search and recommendations — in some cases on accounts with the Explicit Content filter enabled.
For under-13: use Spotify Kids
Spotify Kids is a separate app (not the main Spotify app with settings toggled). It comes free with any Spotify Premium Family plan. Content is hand-curated — no podcasts, no audiobooks, no explicit leaks. For under-13, this is the right answer. Do not try to harden the main app instead.
For teens on main Spotify: enable the Explicit Content filter
- Open Spotify → Your Library → Settings (gear icon).
- Scroll to Explicit Content.
- Toggle Allow Playback of Explicit Content → OFF.
This blocks flagged content across music, podcasts, and audiobooks.
The gap parents should know about
The filter only blocks content that has been tagged as explicit. Podcast uploaders self-tag — many don’t. Sexually explicit spoken-word and “ASMR” content that crosses into sexual territory has repeatedly surfaced on teen accounts with the filter enabled. Audiobooks added in 2024 include erotic fiction that has appeared in search results and recommendations despite the filter.
What to do: spot-check the Podcasts and Audiobooks tabs on your teen’s account. If anything looks off, report the content via Spotify’s reporting flow and consider moving a younger teen to Spotify Kids.
See the full walkthrough: Spotify Parental Controls guide.
Other apps to know about
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Roblox
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