Spotify users could soon find themselves booted from the platform if they don’t pass a new age verification process that’s sparked a fair bit of controversy online.
The music streaming app, which has almost 700 million users globally, has warned that anyone failing to verify their age could see their account permanently deleted within 90 days. The move is part of a wider effort to block underage teenagers and children from accessing explicit tracks and adult-rated music videos on the platform.
Reported by The Telegraph, A new page on Spotify’s website now makes things crystal clear, stating: “You cannot use Spotify if you don’t meet the minimum age requirements for the market you’re in. If you cannot confirm you’re old enough to use Spotify, your account will be deactivated and eventually deleted.”
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This week, social media has been flooded with screenshots of a pop-up on the app asking users to verify their age using Yoti, a third-party smartphone tool that estimates someone’s age by scanning their face. If the app thinks a user looks too young, they’ll be pushed to complete an additional ID check to keep their account active.
Those who don’t pass, or simply choose not to go through the process, have 90 days before their account disappears for good. Spotify says people can opt out of the age check, but warns that they’ll then be blocked from viewing any adult-rated videos.
In a statement, the company said: “Some users will now have to confirm their age by going through an age assurance process. For example, when a user attempts to watch a music video that has been labelled 18+ by the rights-holder for that video, Spotify may serve a prompt for that user to confirm the user’s age.”
Spotify is open to anyone aged 13 and over, but it has faced criticism for hosting tracks and videos with explicit or mature themes. Earlier this year, for example, The Times reported that the platform had even hosted pornographic podcasts, despite its own rules banning “sexually explicit content”.
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This latest crackdown follows the introduction of the UK’s Online Safety Act, which forces tech companies to enforce age restrictions more strictly. As of last week, firms are required to confirm users’ ages before they can access pornographic material or other harmful adult content. Any platform that fails to comply faces fines of up to 10 percent of its global turnover.
It’s not just Spotify feeling the heat. Pornhub, Reddit and X (formerly Twitter) have all added similar age checks in response to the new rules. But not everyone is happy.
The law has triggered backlash across the UK, with a petition calling for its repeal attracting over 420,000 signatures. Despite this, the Government has said it has “no plans to repeal the Online Safety Act, and is working closely with Ofcom to implement the Act as quickly and effectively as possible to enable UK users to benefit from its protections”.