Here’s why your Spotify account could be deleted because of a controversial new law

The Online Safety Act has targeted Twitter, adult entertainment sites, and dating platforms, but now people fear that it could be coming for music on Spotify.

The internet has been embroiled in fierce debate over the last week, the divisive subject matter being the government’s recently enacted Online Safety Act. Nicknamed the “porn crackdown”, the legislation prohibits the viewing of “sensitive” content online without prior age verification. Companies have been employing various methods of age verification, like facial age estimation, ID verification, and email address-based estimation. But already, people have discovered loopholes around it.

Though everyone is talking about the corn aspect of the law, non-graphic sites such as Twitter, Discord, and Spotify are also subject to new, stringent regulations.

Credit: Canva

Why Spotify could delete your account after the Online Safety Act

Spotify being subjected to the Online Safety Act was first spotted by Christian Calgie from Daily Express, who posted this on Twitter: “Your Spotify account is getting deleted unless you do age verification.”

He posted a screenshot of Spotify’s terms and conditions page, with a section answering what happens if your age verification fails: “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.”

Your Spotify account is getting deleted unless you do age verification pic.twitter.com/QZTJW1tIZN

— Calgie (@christiancalgie) July 30, 2025

Another question wondered what you should do if your account is deactivated, with Spotify answering: “If your account was deactivated due to an inaccurate age estimation, 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.

Most Read

Guys, after six months you can finally see footage from Bonnie Blue’s 1000 guys in 12 hours

The wages the Love Island 2025 cast earned in jobs before the show prove who needs the £50k

Jenny Han explains why the show’s ending of The Summer I Turned Pretty is different from the books

“If we still can’t confirm you’re old enough to use Spotify, or if no action is taken within 7 days of reactivation, your account will be permanently deleted.”

Such measures can only be taken if a Spotify user attempts to view 18+ content, like a music video. Should they try the age verification and fail, the account is deleted, but if they decline to do the verification, then nothing changes.

Apple Music has also implemented similar changes, and people aren’t happy.

“How old do you have to be to listen to music?” one person wrote, as another said, “These policies will drive me and countless others to cancel our subscriptions and switch to alternatives. (Free Ones) These companies stand to lose millions in revenue as a result.”

Someone else questioned: “Deactivated? Why not just restrict access to songs with explicit lyrics?”

For more like this, like The Tab on Facebook.

Featured image credit: Canva