New HMD Fuse smartphone for children uses built-in AI to block nude content

A new smartphone for children is now available, featuring what the manufacturer claims is the world’s first technology capable of blocking explicit content from the camera and across all apps.

Dubbed the HMD Fuse protected with HarmBlock+, the new device from Human Mobile Devices (HMD) and SafeToNet, is being launched as a “stepping stone” phone that can evolve with a child’s digital journey.

The phone’s core feature is HarmBlock AI, a new technology embedded deep within the operating system that prevents children from capturing, viewing, or sending nude images or videos.

Richard Pursey, founder of SafeToNet, emphasized its tamper-proof nature. “This is a line in the sand,” Pursey said. “HarmBlock+ can’t be removed, tricked, or worked around… In essence, we have made the HMD Fuse pornography incompatible.”

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

In addition to its AI protection, the HMD Fuse offers a comprehensive suite of parental controls, allowing guardians to manage app access, screen time limits and location tracking. Parents can also whitelist approved contacts for calls and messages.

James Robinson, Vice President of HMD Family, stated the device was a direct response to parental concerns. “When you give your child a smartphone, you bring a stranger and unknown dangers into your home,” he said. “Now you have peace of mind that there’s protection in place even when you can’t be there.”

The phone is designed to grow with a child. It can start as a basic device with only calls and texts, with parents gradually unlocking features. “Every step is a conversation between parent and child,” Robinson added.

The HMD Fuse is now available in the UK, exclusively through Vodafone UK and Three, priced at £33 a month with a £30 upfront cost. The launch follows new research revealing that one in five UK secondary school-aged children have felt pressured to share explicit images of themselves, underscoring the need for such a device.

HMD Fuse protected 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