Spotify has introduced a new shared playlist feature to its Spotify Kids app. This allows parents to grant their children access to curated playlists which might contain songs that aren’t usually accessible through the Kids app.
What Is Spotify Kids?
Spotify Kids is a standalone app from Spotify that aims to give children a safe way to listen to music. It’s available exclusively with a Spotify Premium Family subscription and is available on Android and iOS.
Children can explore Spotify Kid’s audio content, which includes music and stories, which has been hand-picked by a team of editors to ensure it’s safe for them to listen to.
The user experience is also different, with artwork that varies depending on the child’s age range. For example, younger children will see more character-based art, while the graphics for older children are more realistic and detailed.
Spotify has improved Spotify Kids since it launched in October 2019, giving parents the ability to block individual songs and letting them see their child’s listening history.
Spotify Kids Introduces Parent-Curated Playlists
Now, as announced on For the Record, another new feature has been added to Spotify Kids: shared playlists.
The new feature “lets parents share music playlists they’ve created in their Spotify account directly with their child in Spotify Kids”.
This means that even if a song is unavailable on Spotify Kids, you can share it with your child by adding it to a shared playlist.
To do this:
- Create a playlist using the usual Spotify app. Of course, ensure it contains music that you’re comfortable with your children listening to.
- Open the Spotify Kids app, go to the parental settings section, and enter your PIN.
- Tap the Shared Playlists section. Here you can see currently shared playlists and add new ones to share.
- When you add a playlist, you will be asked to confirm the action. Once done, the playlist will appear to your child on their homescreen in a Shared with You section.
The playlist that you share will keep in sync if you add or remove songs. Of course, you can always head into the parental settings section and remove access to the playlist entirely.
Spotify Kids Is Great for Families
If you’re in a family with young children, Spotify Kids continues to get better, and opting for a Spotify Family plan is a great choice. The shared playlist feature means that kids aren’t limited to the songs that Spotify editors choose; now you can have an input too.