A leading anti-sexual exploitation group is calling on Spotify to halt or disable its new direct message feature, which advocates fear could make it easier for predators to abuse or groom minors through the platform.
Spotify announced its plans for the Messages feature last week, which is intended to provide a space for one-on-one conversations where users can share music, podcasts, audiobooks and other content with each other.
The new feature is free for premium users age 16 and older, according to the popular music platform.
In a statement provided to The Christian Post after Spotify’s announcement, Haley McNamara, the executive director and chief strategy officer for the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, called on Spotify to reconsider allowing teens to access the DM feature.
“Spotify should halt its rollout of a new DM feature, given that DMs are a prime way predators can contact teens. Spotify has a track record of not prioritizing child safety, as it took them eight years just to add basic parental controls (Spotify Kids),” McNamara stated.
“There have already been cases of children being groomed and abused on Spotify, and inevitably, this will get worse with the DM feature. All minors deserve to be protected from online harms, and teens aren’t immune from these harms when they turn 16.”
NCOSE included Spotify in its 2024 “Dirty Dozen List,” which names entities the watchdog believes have failed to take proper measures to protect children and the public from exploitation.
The anti-sexual exploitation watchdog reported that it had found evidence of minors and adults soliciting and sharing hardcore and deepfake pornography, as well as self-harm images and what appeared to be child sex abuse material.
“If Spotify does not reconsider allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to have access to the DM feature, it will be on track to become a hotspot for child sexual exploitation,” McNamara said in her recent remarks about the platform’s new feature.
In response to an inquiry from The Christian Post, a Spotify spokesperson stated that the platform began rolling out an age reassurance process earlier this year, which requires users to go through a verification process to confirm their eligibility for age-restricted features, including Messages.
The platform also received feedback from its Safety Advisory Council during the development of the Messages feature, which, according to the spokesperson, includes global child safety experts.
Regarding the new DM feature, the spokesperson said that users can only start a chat with friends, family members or people they have previously shared Spotify content with. Users will also have control over whether they want to accept or reject a message, the spokesperson added.
Users can also report shared content, text messages or accounts, and they can block other users or opt out of Messages, the Spotify spokesperson continued.
Spotify insists that it scans Messages for child sex abuse and grooming material, and will review chat content if a user reports content that violates its Terms of Use or Platform Rules.
While McNamara acknowledged that Spotify’s statements about age reassurance sound promising, she described the platform’s remarks as “potentially misleading.” The anti-sexual exploitation advocate said that Spotify’s age checks are only being trialed in “select markets” for people who are 18 and older.
McNamara also asserted that Spotify’s public remarks about verifying users’ ages typically refer to content consumption, such as watching music videos.
She told CP that she doesn’t believe Spotify has done enough to publicly disclose its plans for verifying users’ ages, particularly when it comes to Messages, which she noted can be accessed by minors as young as 16 years old.
“So while Spotify may have secret plans to eventually improve age gating around direct messages, currently there is no public evidence that’s the case,” she told CP.
“If Spotify were to commit to requiring robust age verification to access direct messaging, and set the minimum age at 18, that would be a meaningful advance for child protection, and we would applaud it.”
McNamara cited data published by the Internet Watch Foundation in March 2024, which found that three-in-five cases of sexual extortion involve 16- and 17-year-olds.
“Allowing minors to decline messages is good, but it is not a child protection policy,” McNamara asserted. “Predators often use lies, fake profiles, or flattery to bypass a minor’s judgment and draw them into harmful exchanges.”
“In short, while we hope to be proven wrong, Spotify’s current approach seems woefully insufficient,” she added. “We urge them to reassess their direct messaging rollout, strengthen protections, and truly prioritize child safety. If they take those steps, we would be the first to applaud.”
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
