Spotify has joined the Tech Coalition, a tech industry initiative to “foster a safer online environment for young people by preventing and combating online child sexual exploitation and abuse”, and has also published a new guide for parents whose children use the streaming service.
“Safety is a top priority for Spotify, which is why we want to make it easier for young people and parents to understand and navigate the digital world”, says Marcelina Slota, Spotify’s Head Of Platform Integrity. “Today, we’re announcing that we have a new Parental Guide to help do just that. Our work in this space is ongoing and we’ll continue updating this resource - and others - to reflect the best and most up-to-date information”.
Slota also lists various measures Spotify has in place to protect younger users. That includes “a zero-tolerance policy against content that exploits children”, “platform rules that ban illegal and/or abusive behaviors that could harm children”, and the use of “machine learning signals” and “user reporting mechanisms to detect potential policy and/or legal violations”.
Spotify has teams who work “around the clock to review and promptly remove potentially violating or explicit content”, Slota adds, while also “connecting potentially vulnerable users to mental health resources when they search for content related to suicide, self-harm and disordered eating content”.
Although not facing quite as big a task as the social media companies when it comes to dealing with harmful content on its platform, pretty much anyone can deliver music or podcasts to Spotify, which means it will inevitably host content that is unsuitable for teenagers and younger children. That includes tracks with lyrics that feature offensive language or deal with controversial themes, and podcasts that cover topics not suitable for younger listeners.
In theory, you have to be thirteen years old to use Spotify. Teenagers can directly sign up to the streaming service with the permission of a parent or guardian, or may have access via a family plan. For children under thirteen, the specially curated Spotify Kids is available in some markets where a parent or guardian has a family plan subscription.
Like all digital companies, Spotify has been under increased pressure in recent years to put in place systems to protect younger users.
The new parental guide includes an introduction from child safety expert Alex Holmes, who advises Spotify and writes, “In the online world, I always suggest that parents should work together with their children to keep them safe. Discuss what types of content you are comfortable with them listening to, and help them understand what they can do if content makes them feel upset or worried”.