Spotify is shaking things up by threatening to delete accounts if you fail the new age-verification checks. If you may’t prove you’re old enough for Spotify’s minimum age requirements in your region, your account will be deactivated and eventually deleted.
If you log onto Spotify without having verified your account, you’ll likely be asked to verify your age using Yoti. Yoti is a smartphone app that uses face-scanning tech to estimate your age. If you’re judged to look underage, you will be asked to complete a further ID check. During this time, your account will be deactivated.
If you don’t pass that ID check within 90 days, then your account will be deleted. This seems to be limited to those in the United Kingdom—I tried listening to explicit music, looking up songs and podcasts that were definitely not for kids, and more, but never got the check in the United States.
Spotify has a minimum age of 13 for its platform, but it also has a ton of songs and music videos meant for mature audiences.The Telegraphreported that Spotify said you can simply decline to verify, and it would be fine. The catch is that you’ll be blocked from accessing adult videos. So, if you’re trying to watch an 18+ music video, Spotify might just prompt you to confirm your age again. I have not seen that stipulation onSpotify’s age check pagethat confirms this. Either way, it is not clear why Spotify would immediately deactivate your account when you fail the check, but wouldn’t if you declined it.
Spotify isn’t alone in this change; the company is just the latest digital giant to start rolling out age checks to block kids from adult content. This all comes on the heels of new rules from theOnline Safety Actin the United Kingdom. Since last Friday,tech companieshave had to confirm the age of users who are trying to access pornography and other adult content like graphic violence. They also have to enforce the age limits they’ve set in their own terms of service.
There’s a chance that similar rules could arrive in the United States, with bills like theKids Online Safety Act (KOSA)making thier way through Congress. Spotify will likely only enable these account checks in regions where local laws require it, but we’ll have to wait and see.
