The popular music streaming platform Spotify recently unveiled a new direct message feature, which the National Center on Sexual Exploitation believes could be infiltrated by child predators.
A watchdog group warned in an Aug. 27 statement that Spotify must disable this DM feature for minors and “utilize robust age verification to ensure minors do not access it.”
“Direct messages are a high-risk feature for sexual abuse and grooming online,” the Center said.
Executive director Haley McNamara added, “Spotify should halt its rollout of a new DM feature, given that DMs are a prime way predators can contact teens.”
Apparently, Spotify has had longstanding issues with failing to ensure the safety of minors.
“Spotify has a track record of not prioritizing child safety, as it took them eight years just to add basic parental controls,” McNamara explained.
PS…#Spotify patting itself on the back for excluding kids under 16 from its new DM feature misses the point.
Research shows 16–17yos are often at highest risk!
IWF found 16–17yos are victims in 3 of 5 sextortion cases.@Spotify time to rethink this rollout. https://t.co/6vcCf1tiz0
— Haley McNamara (@HaleyMcNamara) August 27, 2025
“There have already been cases of children being groomed and abused on Spotify, and inevitably this will get worse with the DM feature,” she continued.
Should children under 16 have a cell phone?
“All minors deserve to be protected from online harms, and teens aren’t immune from these harms when they turn 16.”
The Center also named Spotify to their “Dirty Dozen” list of “mainstream contributors to sexual exploitation” just last year.
Although the music platform isn’t known as a pornography app, children can still access visual content that normalizes “sexual violence, child sexual abuse, and incest” through thumbnails depicting sexual activity.
In addition, there is “audio pornography” in the form of “sex sounds or sexually explicit stories read aloud.”
Spotify said last week that the DM feature was created as a result of feedback from users, who want to more easily share content among their friends.
“For artists, authors, and creators, easier sharing means more word-of-mouth recommendations and helps create new fans,” the company said in an announcement.
“Our goal is to give users what they want and make those moments of connection more seamless and streamlined in the Spotify app.”
The service is available for anyone who is 16 years or older; however, certain content is age restricted, according to the company’s website.
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