How to get your child a free Spotify account with parental controls

Spotify has removed the paywall on its Managed Accounts feature, letting you (as parents) set up a controlled listening account for their kids. The amazing part of this feature is that you no longer need to pay for a separate premium plan to create a safe account; you can be on any plan—not just Premium Family—to set up this controlled listening account for your kids.

In other words, both your account and your kids accounts can be managed in one dashboard.

The company announced, in a blog post, that it is expanding free managed accounts to every subscription tier, with the rollout starting immediately in the US, UK, Australia, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. Combined with the countries that received the earlier rollout, this brings the total number of countries with managed accounts to 16.

The free-tier rollout initially covered Argentina, Colombia, Denmark, Italy, New Zealand, and Sweden, starting May 13. That expanded on June 23 to Brazil, Mexico, Portugal, and Spain. The company has also stated that more of the service expansion will come to more markets, including Canada, as soon as possible.

Spotify's managed account explained

The free “managed accounts” was first launched in 2024 but only those who subscribe to Premium Family plan can access it. Now, Spotify has expanded the service to to every subscription tier so that their younger listeners can get a more sorted, music only experience.

The managed accounts give children a separate, age-appropriate listening experience, allowing kids to get their own space to build playlists and get personalized recommendations through features like daylist and Made for You mixes. They account also allows them to get their own year-end Wrapped, which is entirely separate from their parents'.

That also means parents get an undiluted Wrapped, no longer skewed by nursery rhymes or kids' playlists. However, it's important to know that the accounts are music-only as kids can't access podcasts or audiobooks. In addition, they are also stripped of social features. Even their profiles are private and unsearchable, they can only use avatars instead of real photos, and the account also don't support messaging.

Parental controls

Parents can also keep control of the kids accounts simply by:

• Explicit content filter. Although this feature is automatically turned on for every new managed account. You can turn it off if you want.
• You will also get the ability to block (manage playback) specific artists or songs.
• Videos and Canvas visuals are turned off by default. You can simply turn this on if you want. In addition, your kids cannot make purchases or access messaging features.
• Lastly, you can lock your own (parents) account with a PIN when handing over a shared device.

How to set managed accounts on Spotify

Setting a Spotify's managed account up is simple. All you need to do is open the Spotify app on your phone—it can be on Android or iOS device. Tap your profile icon and select “Add account” as it's shown in the screenshot below.

Select “Create a managed account” (or "Add a child under 13"). The option varies by countries. Next, choose a display name for your child and set your content preferences—explicit content is off by default; you can toggle videos/Canvas on if you want.

Final Notes

By making managed accounts available to subscribers on all plans, Spotify has taken down the price wall that previously kept this feature exclusive to paying subscribers. Families can now set up a dedicated, free music space for their children, no subscription required.

However, it's important to note that kids on the free tier will still hear Spotify ads, including tips on using the app. Parents who want an ad-free experience for their child can use Premium Family instead. Managed accounts can later convert to regular accounts once the child reaches the minimum age in their country, with parental approval required until they turn 18.