Spotify says it will delete the accounts of users who fail age verification checksIn the wake of the implementation of the UK’s Online Safety Act, Spotify says it could delete the accounts of users who fail age verification checks.
The Online Safety Act came into effect in the UK on 25 July, and is aimed primarily at preventing children from viewing adult content.

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Following its implementation, many online platforms – including Reddit, Discord and others where adult content may be accessed – have begun introducing age verification checks.
Now, Spotify has teamed up with Yoti – a company which specialises in digital identity verification and facial recognition and is used by many businesses, banks and governments – to ensure it is compliant with the Online Safety Act.
As the support section of Spotify’s website notes, the platform hosts age-restricted content, including music videos tagged 18+.
It says that “some users” will have to undergo a “facial age check”, or submit an ID verification.
The platform adds: “You cannot use Spotify if you don’t meet the minimum age requirements for the market you’re in. If you cannot confirm you’re old enough to use Spotify, your account will be deactivated and eventually deleted.”
It says users whose accounts are deactivated as a result of this will receive an email, and will have a short window to verify their age if it was a “mistake”.
Specifically, users will be allowed to reactivate their account within 90 days of deactivation, and subsequently go through ID verification. If no action is taken within seven days of reactivation, the user’s account will be “permanently deleted”.
Spotify and CEO Daniel Ek have been under fire lately following Ek’s investments in AI-driven military company Helsing. A number of bands and artists have pulled their music from the platform, including King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, indie rock band Xiu Xiu and San Francisco art rockers Deerhoof.
“We don’t want our music killing people,” Deerhoof said in a statement explaining their decision to leave the platform.
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