Will phones that block explicit content become the norm for children? My first thoughts on the HMD Fuse from Vodafone

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In the UK, as elsewhere, the debate rages over what children should and shouldn’t be allowed to see and do online.

Recently introduced, the UK’s Online Safety Act attempts to tackle the problem to some extent by making creators of pornographic content introduce age verification measures to prevent access by Under 18s.

And while there are obviously ways round these blocks (by using a VPN, for example), there is some evidence that the law is starting to have an effect, reducing traffic to many of the sites considerably. It’s a start, but only tackles one problem – children viewing pornography on sites such as Pornhub and XVideos.

What about children who are being coerced into sending explicit images of themselves to another person which are then sent on to their friends etc., arguably a much more serious problem? Research from Vodafone estimates that one in five secondary school children (11-17) have felt pressured into sending an explicit image of themselves.

Setting boundaries

Enter the HMD Fuse smartphone which Vodafone launches today for £30 up front and £33 per month subscription. It features a wealth of features designed to put the parent in control of their children’s mobile phone use via a ‘parent app’ that can be downloaded to any device (iPhone or Android).

For example, it gives the parents the option of approving all apps downloaded to the child’s devices, the hours when they can be used and who is allowed to contact the child via text and phone. Phone functionality can be reduced during certain hours, such as during school hours or after midnight, so that the phone simply becomes a ‘brick’ during those times, capable of only displaying the time, wake-up alarms and the calculator.

More controversial, perhaps, is the option for parents to track their children via the parents’ companion app, even setting up ‘geofencing’ so they can be alerted if the child moves out of a certain range of their home. This can be set up for several children via the app, although you will require a £33 a month subscription for each child which works out quite expensive (Vodafone hasn’t announced a family plan yet).

Harmblock+

However, undoubtedly the most interesting and intriguing feature on the phone is Harmblock+, a clever piece of AI software designed to filter out explicit images and video. Developed by UK company SafeToNet (which also owns parental software NetNanny), it’s basically a LLM (Large Language Model) that has been pre-installed as a 35Mb ‘mustard seed’ on the phone.

Pre-trained on over 22 million sexually explicit images, it’s capable of scanning the phone display several times a second looking for content that falls foul of its algorithms. Importantly, it doesn’t matter if the child is using a VPN to get around age verification measures, because as soon as he or she sees explicit content from a pornography website the phone effectively shuts down the site with a message telling the user to go back to previous page.

As Richard Pursey, Founder of SafeToNet said at the launch of the HMD Fuse phone last night (August 19^th) at London’s Covent Garden Hotel: “By the time the explicit content has got to the screen, it’s already come out of the VPN. So if the child wants to pretend they are in Timbuktu that’s fine by us because they’re still not going to see it.”

Does it work?

At last night’s launch, we had the chance to put the phone to the test with some mildly risqué images, one of a scantily clad woman on a bed, another of a muscular naked man from behind. As soon as the phone’s camera was put anywhere near the man’s backside or the woman’s breasts, it effectively shut the camera down completely with an overlay telling the user they couldn’t capture the image.

Similarly, the idea is that it would stop a child sending an image of their private parts to another user, as well as preventing them viewing similar images sent to them. SafeToNet claims the technology is a ‘world first’ and, certainly, we don’t know of any other company offering similar solutions to consumers.

It seems a very good idea although obviously much will depend on how effective the algorithms are at blocking explicit content. If anything, so far it seems the answer may be rather too effective, with the potential for the software to block children browsing swimsuits to buy for their holidays!

Also, while Harmblock+ may prevent children viewing or sharing explicit pornographic images and videos online, this is just one problem that it solves. Many others still exist. For example, children may still be able to access extremely violent images and video. They can also read material on subjects such as anorexia and suicide via social media and the web unless these are explicitly marked off limits by the parents (even then it’s likely the child could find a work around).

Final thoughts

So would I buy the HMD Fuse phone to protect my kids (if they were under 18)? I’d certainly consider it. I like the idea of being able to monitor their use of the internet and certain apps via a companion app on my own phone and would certainly welcome the Harmblock+, although like most parents I’d like to think my own wouldn’t send or view explicit images.

Of course, it’s not a panacea, especially as the Harmblock+ software does reduce battery life by around 8%. But in an age when the tech companies seem to be dragging their heels when it comes to implementing any form of restrictions for children, a phone that offers some protections against harmful content seems like a good start to me.

The HMD Fuse Protected with HarmBlock+ is now available in the UK at vodafone.co.uk/family. It costs £33 a month (plus £30 upfront). 

HMD Fuse with HarmBlock+ top six features at a glance:

• HarmBlock AI – Helps to prevent nudity from being recorded, seen, sent and stored across any app or platform including livestream.
• Growth Journey Design – From brick phone to full smartphone, unlocked by parental discretion
• Granular Parental Controls – Apps, web, contacts, and camera access fully managed via guardian app
• Contact Whitelisting – Messages and calls only from approved contacts
• Location Tracking – Real-time updates, safe zone alerts, and 24-second tracking intervals. You can turn on the live tracking for 30-minute intervals to save battery on both the parent and child’s device
• Privacy-Centric – No user data (including photos, videos, or browsing history) is shared outside the device

Child safety campaigner defends Online Safety Act

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