“Welcome to the police state,” Spotify introduces age checks under UK Online Safety Act
Spotify users in the UK risk losing their accounts if they fail to verify their age, and users are fuming.
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Spotify users in the UK risk losing their accounts if they fail to verify their age, and users are fuming.
“Now Spotify will be locked behind age verification. Well done, Peter Kyle. Our children have been saved from music,” said one disgruntled X user.
These are the days after the UK officially introduced the Online Safety Act, which aims to protect users from certain types of content online.
The act mainly looks to safeguard children from harmful online content, which encompasses anything from pornography to content that promotes or depicts self-harm.
For this act to go forward, the UK government has devised a solution in the form of age verification, which requires big tech companies to prompt users to provide an ID to confirm their age or use facial age estimation.
But, seemingly, the world has gone mad, as users in the UK have reported that Spotify, the popular music streaming service, is also implementing age verification checks on “adult content.”
“There is no f**cking way,” the X user bogus said after sharing a screenshot showing the Online Safety Act at work.
there is no fucking way. pic.twitter.com/o2L4tT8XAu
undefined bogus (@boogusangoos) July 29, 2025
Commenters from across the globe flocked to the post, which received four million views, 80,000 likes, and almost 500 comments, to revel in the Orwellian.
“Welcome to the police state,” said one user, while others said that “censorship’s gotten out of control.”
Other X users questioned the post, with one person accusing the poster of fabricating the whole thing.
However, Spotify posted an article saying that users may be prompted to input their age when attempting to access certain content that’s not deemed age-appropriate.
“You may be presented with an age check when you try to access certain age-restricted content, like music videos tagged 18+,” the post reads.
Spotify said that “some users will be asked to perform an age check” when trying to access age-restricted content like music and music videos.
Users can do this by uploading a copy of their ID or using Spotify’s digital identity company of choice, which is Yoti’s facial age estimation tool.
While this all seems reasonable, one sentence shocked Spotify users to the core.
“If you cannot confirm you’re old enough to use Spotify, your account will be deactivated and eventually deleted.”
Users risk having their accounts permanently deleted if they’re unable to verify their age via facial age estimation or by uploading their IDs.
Furthermore, if a Spotify account was deactivated due to inaccurate facial age estimation, then users have to jump through hoops to get their accounts back.
“You can look for the email in your inbox, which allows you to reactivate your account within 90 days of deactivation and then go through ID verification,” Spotify said.
If Spotify is unable to confirm a user's age and “if no action is taken within seven days of reactivation,” then the user’s account “will be permanently deleted.”
Unsurprisingly, users were outraged by this development, dubbing it draconian.
“I can’t believe Spotify now requires age verification. Today it’s music, tomorrow it could be books, films, or even news articles. It's the first step into a dystopian reality we’ve seen in movies, where access to culture is gated by surveillance and the illusion of security,” one X user said.
I can’t believe Spotify now requires age verification. Today it’s music, tomorrow it could be books, films, or even news articles. It's the first step into a dystopian reality we’ve seen in movies, where access to culture is gated by surveillance and the illusion of security. https://t.co/AVhZniLW7w
undefined Saruei 💥 (@Saruei_) July 30, 2025
“Can't even listen to Spotify without having to verify my age, what the fuck is the point anymore?” another user lamented.
can't even listen to spotify without having to verify my age what the fuck is the point anymore
undefined casey (@stardewcasey) July 30, 2025
“It’s to stop poor children from seeing porn claims. Meanwhile, Spotify wants proof of age from a 50-year-old who’s had a Spotify account for over 10 years. It’s censorship, the UK government is creating a huge ID risk by asking us to share ID with everyone,” said another user.
Child safety @RhonddaBryant claimed.
undefined Caveman Dave (@lfcest1892) July 30, 2025
It’s to stop poor children seeing porn claims.
Meanwhile Spotify wants prof of age from a 50yr old that’s had a Spotify account over 10 years.
It’s censorship, the uk gov is creating a huge id risk by asking us to share ID with everyone pic.twitter.com/EqdJzAcGdp
My editor mentioned that people complain that the European Union’s rules are strict. As a Brit abroad, all I have to say is, good luck.