Spotify · Spotify Privacy Policy · View original document ↗

Children's Data and Age Restrictions

Medium severity Rare · 2 of 343 platforms
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Document Record

What it is

Spotify turns off targeted advertising for younger users by default, but automatically turns it on when they reach a certain age with only an in-app notification.

This analysis describes what Spotify's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology

ConductAtlas Analysis

Why it matters (compliance & governance perspective)

The provision operationalizes age-based advertising differentiation, requiring notification when advertising status changes and providing a designated interface for preference modification. This establishes the procedural mechanism for transitioning users from restricted to standard advertising when age eligibility thresholds are met.

Clause Stability Stable

0
Changes
3
Months Monitored
Apr 9, 2026
First Seen
Apr 10, 2026
Last Seen
This clause type exists across 1153 other provisions on other platforms.

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

When a younger Spotify user reaches the age threshold for targeted advertising, Spotify automatically enables it and sends only an in-app notification — there is no active opt-in consent step, meaning the user must proactively opt out to avoid being profiled for advertising.

What you can do

⚠️ These actions may provide transparency or partial mitigation but may not fully address the underlying issue. Effectiveness varies by jurisdiction and individual circumstances.
  • Opt Out of Arbitration
    If you or a family member receives an in-app notification that targeted advertising has been enabled, immediately go to spotify.com/account/privacy and toggle off 'Tailored Ads' under the Tailored Advertising section.

How other platforms handle this

MetaMask Medium

We may share your personal information with our affiliates, meaning entities that control, are controlled by, or are under common control with Consensys. We also share information with service providers who assist in operating our services, subject to confidentiality obligations.

Ledger Medium

At Ledger, earning and maintaining our users' trust is a top priority. That's why we are deeply committed not only to protecting your privacy and securing your personal data, but also to being fully transparent about how we handle it.

Target Medium

RedCard. We share information with our financial partners to operate the Target RedCard program.

See all platforms with this clause type →

Monitoring

Spotify has changed this document before.

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▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
Younger users may have tailored advertising turned off by default. When you reach the appropriate age, you will start to receive tailored advertising. When this happens, you will receive a message within the Spotify Service to let you know. This message will contain a link to the Account Privacy page where you can change your preferences or 'opt-out' of tailored advertising at any time under Tailored Ads.

— Excerpt from Spotify's Spotify Privacy Policy

ConductAtlas Analysis

Institutional analysis (Compliance & governance intelligence)

1) REGULATORY FRAMEWORK: This provision implicates COPPA (15 U.S.C. §6501; 16 C.F.R. Part 312) for users under 13, which requires verifiable parental consent before collecting personal information for advertising; CPRA §1798.121 and the California Age-Appropriate Design Code (AB 2273) which require privacy by default for users under 18 and restrict profiling of minors for advertising; FTC Act Section 5; Virginia VCDPA §59.1-578(B)(5) and similar state law provisions restricting processing of known minors' data for targeted advertising. The FTC and CPPA are primary enforcement authorities. FTC COPPA penalties reach $51,744 per violation per day. 2)

Full compliance analysis

Regulatory citations, enforcement risk, and due diligence action items.

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Applicable agencies

  • FTC
    The FTC enforces COPPA (16 C.F.R. Part 312) and has brought major enforcement actions against platforms for advertising practices involving minors, with penalties up to $51,744 per violation per day.
    File a complaint →
  • State AG
    California AG and CPPA have enforcement authority under CPRA §1798.120(c) (opt-in requirement for 13-15 year olds) and the California Age-Appropriate Design Code (AB 2273).
    File a complaint →

Applicable regulations

CCPA/CPRA
California, USA
COPPA
United States Federal
Connecticut Data Privacy Act Amendments
US-CT
CAN-SPAM
United States Federal
FTC Act Section 5
United States Federal
GDPR
European Union
Indiana Consumer Data Protection Act
US-IN
Kentucky Consumer Data Protection Act
US-KY
UK GDPR
United Kingdom
Universal Opt-Out Mechanism Expansion 2026
US
VPPA
United States Federal

Provision details

Document information
Document
Spotify Privacy Policy
Entity
Spotify
Document last updated
May 5, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
March 6, 2026
Last verified
April 9, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-002614
Document ID
CA-D-00036
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
20e7378325f90f73de8e5f0d9b2d1ec4523f9cf07b406b492edd5753b96f24ad
Analysis generated
March 6, 2026 20:27 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: Spotify
Document: Spotify Privacy Policy
Record ID: CA-P-002614
Captured: 2026-03-06 20:27:52 UTC
SHA-256: 20e7378325f90f73…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/spotify/spotify-privacy-policy/childrens-data-and-age-restrictions/
Accessed: June 17, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
Medium
Categories

Other risks in this policy

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Built from archived source documents, structured governance mappings, and historical version tracking.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Spotify's Children's Data and Age Restrictions clause do?

The provision operationalizes age-based advertising differentiation, requiring notification when advertising status changes and providing a designated interface for preference modification. This establishes the procedural mechanism for transitioning users from restricted to standard advertising when age eligibility thresholds are met.

How does this clause affect you?

When a younger Spotify user reaches the age threshold for targeted advertising, Spotify automatically enables it and sends only an in-app notification — there is no active opt-in consent step, meaning the user must proactively opt out to avoid being profiled for advertising.

How many platforms have this type of clause?

ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 2 platforms. See the full comparison.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with Spotify?

No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Spotify.