Spotify is launching a kids app that contains age-appropriate content, curated playlists, and playful graphics.
Parents everywhere are used to sharing their Spotify app with their children (which can really put a cramp in that algorithm that figures out recommendations). Now, the company has taken notice and reportedly spent two years developing a special kids’ version of the app, which currently features more than 6,000 approved, age-appropriate songs and playlists created by the Spotify theme.
Spotify said through its newsroom, “Spotify Kids was born out of the desire to create a playground of sound just for kids—to build a place where younger kids can explore their favorite music and stories in a fun environment. The content is ad-free and hand-picked by a team of editors, and the experience is bursting with color… Beyond the content, the entire Spotify Kids user experience looks and feels different from the Spotify app. And that’s intentional. It’s built for kids, with their specific cognitive skills in mind, and exudes a fun, familiar, playful, and bright atmosphere.”
No doubt that millennial parents would love this feature. Knowing that the children are playing music that’s catered to them while parents take back control of their own Spotify apps is pretty much what parents have been waiting for since Spotify launched the Spotify Premium Family subscription, which costs $14.99 and allows gives everyone in the home their own login, profile, and recommendations. Or, if you don’t care what your kids are listening to – at least it gives your kids a chance to explore an app on their own and engage themselves – without messing up your curated content.
The app contains a few categories for children to browse through: movies & TV, activities (like bedtime or homework time etc.), genres, top hits, seasonal, Spotify Originals, artists/groups, and stories. Rather than relying on an algorithm to create children’s playlists, Spotify got experts who have experience working in children’s entertainment. They chose music based on a provided set of guidelines. All content is ad-free.
“Spotify Kids is a standalone app available exclusively for Premium Family subscribers and intended for kids ages 3+. The content within Kids is hand-picked by a team of editors, who have nearly 100 years of combined experience curating content for kids,” says Spotify.
Currently, Spotify has launched a beta version of the app, available only in Ireland, but plans to release to world-wide markets soon. Keep checking in on the Spotify website for updates.
“We’re thrilled to beta launch in Ireland and look forward to introducing Spotify Kids in all markets that have Premium Family in the coming months. As we evolve the app experience, we’ll roll out enhanced parental settings and controls for even more customization in an effort to give parents peace of mind,” stated Spotify.
Spotify announced it would continue to add features to this children’s version of the app as parents and children provide feedback. They want to add more parental control features that would allow parents to hand-pick artists and check in on their kids’ accounts, among other things.
