Can't block explicit podcasts

[mkhstoll]

Plan

Premium Family

Country

USA

Device

multi

Operating System

multi

My Question or Issue

Hey Spotify,

I am the mother of teen and tween boys and I'm paying you for a service called Premium FAMILY. I did my research and signed up because I was able to block explicit content for family members, and I did. But guess what, it doesn't apply to podcasts. So guess what? Of course my teen has been using his Spotify account to search up podcasts with explicit sexual content. They aren't hard to find. I want someone from customer service to contact me NOW. It is not hard to allow Premium FAMILY managers to block or allow specific podcasts, or to apply content filters and explicit flagging to podcasts. Please tell me there is a solution I'm just not seeing. Or that there is a fix planned SOON. Or maybe Spotify isn't the right place for families. That's cool. Plenty of other options.

[WhiteDeath]

If explicit podcasts or suggestive podcast titles show up on my home screen one more time, I'm cancelling my subscription. I'm not dealing with this **bleep** showing up on my spotify home screen while I'm at work (garbage like "Dungeons and Daddies" showing up ON MY HOME PAGE AT WORK). It's unprofessional, and quite frankly a disgusting business practice that should be stopped immediately. Is there no quality control? Not to mention that I have absolutely zero interest in podcasts, nor will I ever use Spotify for such. I've used Spotify for about 6 years, and am extremely disappointed in this direction you've taken.

[WhiteDeath]

Again, another non-answer. Stop deflecting and fix the problem. I'm surprised a class action lawsuit wasn't filed against Spotify for exposing minors to explicit content.

Novy, to be clear, this is not directed at you personally, but at those folks making these garbage decisions.

[seventhstar]

I’m seriously disgusted by Spotify’s attitude to this. Expecting parents to scour their platform and flag every single depraved podcast is a crazy idea. You have podcasts entitled “An*l Fu**ing” etc and it’s beyond your abilities to filter that??

I’m moving to Apple Music within 24 hrs if you don’t fix this and issue an apology. 

[seventhstar]

I just cancelled my subscription because of this. Absolutely unacceptable, and I’ll be looking into legal action. The crazy thing was that in the automated cancel subscription chatbot service, there was no option to actually tell Spotify why you’ve left them!

It’s funny. Not only do they not want to protect kids from harmful depraved material, but they don’t want to actually know why ppl

are leaving them either. Strange way to run a business! Let’s see if Apple Music offers a more sane experience. 

[BlockPodcastNow]

Thanks for the reply, I already followed your instructions before asking here. But apparently the options to report podcasts is non existent. Tried the desktop app, in browser player, and android app with no avail. If you can see the screenshot bellow, right clicking the podcast doesn't give the supposed REPORT option. If you look closely at the screenshot, podcast named "Cerita Dewasa" and "Ponsek" contain very mature and inappropriate content in Indonesia which being shoved in my home tab every single day without any option to block or report them. I already block explicit content but those podcasts keep popping in my home tab. Please, any help will be very much appreciated. Have a nice day!

 

[hobocamp21]

I just got done chatting with an agent. When I said the episodes about "queerbaiting" and how to be a "gender affirming parent" were not to my taste and if I could have all podcast recommends removed, they suggested I change my listening habits to other things.

I listen to classic rock.

The agent said they would pass this along which is the same non-response users are getting here. I pay for music, not weird crotch-talk. Nothing has been done in these two years and they intend to never do anything about the issue for obvious reasons.

I nearly have enough mp3's to justify going unpaid at this point.

Here are the two screenshots I supplied when the agent started giving me the familiar runaround:

[AngMcD]

STILL AN ISSUE IN 2024. My pre-teen son has explicit **bleep** videos being suggested for his playlist including “Vaping and the female orgasm” and “Camila Cabello: Break-Up **bleep** Video.” This is a FAMILY membership and this is what Spotify suggests my child listen to? It is offensive that you offer a family membership and do nothing to block such inappropriate content for your younger listeners. Heading back to Apple Music.

[AngieMcD]

STILL AN ISSUE IN 2024. My pre-teen son has explicit **bleep** videos being suggested for his playlist including “Vaping and the female orgasm” and “Camila Cabello: Break-Up **bleep** Video.” This is a FAMILY membership and this is what Spotify suggests my child listen to? It is offensive that you offer a family membership and do nothing to block such inappropriate content for your younger listeners. Even more so that you have known this is an issue for YEARS  and still have not addressed it. Heading back to Apple Music.

[Deegee333]

Id need to make it a part time if not full time job to report all of these podcasts. Please consider they are also selling merch through the podcasts, suggesting that kids stop listening to their parents, teachers, doctor, therapists, trusted adults because only the influencers truly understand them and what they're going through. This is predatory. Even if we report one or many, the Spotify app keeps recommending others. PLEASE create the block podcasts and video content setting ASAP !

[mkhstoll]

LAME

[mkhstoll]

DISLIKE

[mkhstoll]

PATHETIC CORPORATE RESPONSE

[mkhstoll]

Are Spotify employees all bots? Because you all type the same unhelpful response.

[mkhstoll]

Hmmm, thanks, Jeremy, but if Spotify employees actually read the ideas that they keep encouraging us users to post, then said employees would note that one such idea involves simply allowing parents to BLOCK ALL PODCASTS. But then again, reading is hard. And profits is profits. Onward!

[mkhstoll]

Oh, ok. I think I’m catching on. We customers pay all the fees AND do Spotify’s curation too? Mmmmk. 

[Sarah-epieikes]

We use Spotify Premium on the Family Plan with 3 young teens. We've got the explicit content filter on for all of us. 

I still get images with nudity and those that promote certain body images. These recommended tracks do not have explicit content tags probably because the music itself is fine. 

I'm really concerned now as I though my teens would be more protected here - and I'm really concerned about the content of the videos they watch. 

This isn't a parenting question - we talk about this stuff a lot and will deal with it together - but I do want to protect their minds from content they aren't equipped to process well yet. Does Spotify do anything at all to help with this? A conversation with customer support suggests they rely on the algorithm learning not to recommend things we don't like. Very poor strategy!