Can the world’s first smartphone that auto-blocks nude content help to create a safer online space for children?
A Finnish phone company has dialled up the last word in kid-friendly mobiles: a handset that automatically stops nude images from being displayed or taken.
Human Mobile Devices’ (HMD) Fuse handset comes with a suite of parental controls, including location tracking, screen time limits, app blocking and ‘whitelisting’ of trusted contacts.
By HMD’s own admission, it starts life as a ‘brick’, with no access to socials or an app store. Parents can allow children access to apps when they feel they are ready, and manage use via an app on their own device.
But what really sets Fuse apart from the rest, claims HMD, is its embedding of HarmBlock AI into the phone’s operating system, “the first protection tool children can’t bypass,” said the company.
The tech, developed by UK firm SafeToNet, scans content in real time, instantly blocking pornography, deleting files that contain nudity and stopping the camera from taking nude images.
“We believe this is a huge step forward in making a safer phone,” said James Robinson, HMD’s vice president. “We’ve created not just a new phone, but a new category. One that recognises children’s evolving needs and puts safety at the heart of the experience from day one.”
‘We have made a phone that is pornography incompatible,’ said Richard Pursey of SafeToNet. Image: HMD
According to SafeToNet, HarmBlock AI is able to operate offline and across any app, camera, website, or message. The firm claims that it does not collect user data, including photos, videos, or browsing history.
“We are seeing a rise in peer-to-peer online abuse and child exploitation,” said Richard Pursey, founder of the company. “This is the first and only AI to stop that. In essence, we have made the HMD Fuse pornography incompatible.”
We believe this is a huge step forward in making a safer phone
The phone’s launch comes amid a growing global movement to ban the devices in schools, which the Netherlands is leading the way on. Emerging research suggests that such bans improve concentration and grades, while encouraging play. However, many parents still want their children to have phones so that they can call their parents or guardians in an emergency.
“This is why proactive efforts to make children’s devices safer are so important, and we welcome this move towards creating technology with safety baked in,” said Dan Sexton, chief technology officer at the Internet Watch Foundation.
Main image: iStock