Anyone else remember listening to the radio and trying to hit record at just the right moment to make a mixtape? Or did I just date myself? Thanks to Spotify Messages, teens can now share music with friends much easier than previous generations. But private messaging also raises concerns, such as contact with strangers.
After testing it, some concerns remain, but I’m confident Spotify Messages can be used safely by teens with proper precautions. Here’s what you need to know.
Spotify Messages is a feature on the music streaming platform that lets users privately message each other inside the app. It was designed to allow users to share content directly with friends.
With Spotify Messages, users can share and react to content using text and emoji. Users can send songs, podcasts, audiobooks, playlists, and albums.
Currently, Spotify’s age verification consists mostly of users self-attesting their birthdate. Stronger age-verification measures are in place where required by law, and Spotify has rolled out age-assurance processes in select test markets. This suggests Spotify is considering expanding this measure.
Available age-assurance information from Spotify cites a user attempting to watch a music video labeled as 18+ by the rights holder as a potential age-assurance trigger. It’s unclear whether other user behavior, including direct messaging, would also trigger this.
Spotify has some parental controls for managed accounts, but these controls don’t apply to messages because managed accounts don’t have access to this feature.
Oddly, although Spotify very clearly states that managed accounts are only available for users 12 and under, I was able to set up a managed account for a fake 16-year-old. This turned off messages.
While this might seem like a great solution if you don’t want your kid to message on Spotify, it greatly restricts their account in ways no 16-year-old I know would accept. My fake 16-year-old no longer had access to audiobooks or podcasts, they had to be logged in by a parent, and they lost the ability to select or skip songs. They were only able to listen on shuffle.
My initial alarm was (somewhat) tempered when I discovered these built-in protective features on Spotify Messages:
Because Spotify’s age verification is weak in most instances, check your child’s account to make sure they were honest when they created it.
Managed accounts could be an option for kids over 16 who are particularly vulnerable to predators, for example, because of a developmental delay. However, because managed accounts also take away access to great features like audiobooks, I caution against using this unless you feel it’s absolutely necessary.
BrightCanary monitors your child’s messages across all apps, including Spotify. BrightCanary will send you a real-time alert to any red flags, and you can always access full transcripts of your child’s messages.
Spotify isn’t risk-free, but Spotify Messages is safer than many platforms. There’s no public feed, and message requests add a buffer. Confirm your teen’s age is set correctly and monitor their messages so you’ll know right away if there’s a problem.
