eSAFETY GUIDE

Spotify

13+
Minimum age according to Spotify
13+ Minimum age according to Spotify

What is Spotify?

Spotify is an app for listening to music, podcasts and audiobooks. Users can create and share playlists, and receive personalised recommendations based on their listening habits. Spotify works across many different devices, including phones, tablets, computers, speakers, TVs and cars.

On Spotify, you can choose between a free account or Premium (paid) account. With a free account on mobile, you usually can’t choose a specific song to listen to – you can only select an album or playlist and shuffle the songs on it. There are a few exceptions, such as when listening to one of Spotify’s curated playlists like ‘Made for You’, or when you use Spotify on desktop. The free version also includes regular advertisements and only allows you to skip six songs per hour. With a Premium account, you can play any song you like at any time, there are no restrictions on skipping songs and you can download music to listen without internet. Premium comes in different plans, such as individual, student, duo and family.

Spotify has a number of different social features. You can follow friends and artists, and you can make collaborative playlists where others can add songs. There is a feature called ‘Jams’, where Premium users are able to start a shared listening session and their friends (with either free or Premium accounts) can join in and add songs to the same queue. This can be done when you’re all in the same place or remotely.

Spotify introduced a direct messaging feature, which lets you send plain text and links to songs or playlists inside the app. It doesn’t allow you to share photos or other external files. With this feature, users can accept or reject message requests, block or report people, or turn off messaging altogether if they choose.

Spotify also has a ‘friend activity’ feature that shows what your friends are listening to, which you can switch on or off.

For podcasts, there is a comment section where listeners can write comments, reply to others and react with emojis.

On compatible devices, Spotify has a feature called Spotify Connect that means you can use one device to remotely control listening on another. For example, you can use your phone to control music playing on your laptop. If someone else has access to your account and is remotely controlling your Spotify account without your permission, you can stop it by going into settings, select ‘log out everywhere’, then change your password for Spotify.

Spotify also connects with other apps. You can log into Spotify with your Facebook account, which means your Facebook name and picture can appear on Spotify and you can find friends. You can also share Spotify songs and playlists directly to Instagram Stories, and other apps such as Discord can link to Spotify to show what you are listening to.

Some songs or podcasts on Spotify contain explicit content – these are marked with an ‘E’ label. Spotify also has a separate app called Spotify Kids for children aged 12 and under. This app is only available with a Spotify Premium Family subscription. Spotify state that all content in Spotify Kids has been handpicked by editors to be family friendly, and does not contain any content marked explicit.

How do people use Spotify?

Learn more about the benefits and risks associated with how people use music streaming services like Spotify.

Spotify is used for: content creation, messaging/online chat and screen capture.

How can you report abusive content or block someone?

These links are provided by Spotify:

  • Block an account
    How to block other people from viewing your activity on Spotify.
  • Report content
    How to report content that violates Spotify's platform rules.

How can you protect your personal information?

These links are provided by Spotify:

Key safety links

Social media changes are coming

From 10 December 2025, certain social media platforms won’t be allowed to let Australian children under 16 create or keep an account.

Find out more at eSafety’s social media age restrictions hub.

About The eSafety Guide

The eSafety Guide helps you find out how to protect your personal information and report harmful content on common social media, games, apps and sites. Entries are for information only and are not reviews or endorsements by eSafety. Before choosing to use any online service or platform it’s best to:

  • do your own research to understand the risks and benefits
  • check the age rating and requirements
  • consider privacy
  • check the permissions and other settings
  • check the in-app reporting options.

If you are a parent or carer who is deciding whether a child should be allowed to use an online service or platform, you can also:

  • consider your child's readiness for the types of content and experiences they might encounter
  • help them understand what to do if they need help
  • provide ongoing support and monitoring, for example through regular check-ins with your child
  • agree to some rules about use of each service or platform.

To find out more, you can read the App checklist for parents, as well as information about parental controls in social media, games and apps and mental wellbeing resources for families.