SafeToNet and HMD unveil HarmBlock+ smartphone to block explicit content for children

SafeToNet and HMD, working with Vodafone, have introduced the HMD Fuse smartphone, which integrates HarmBlock AI technology to block explicit material and provide advanced parental controls for families.

SafeToNet, a UK-based online safety technology company, has announced the release of what it describes as the world’s safest smartphone for children.

The device, called the HMD Fuse, has been developed in partnership with Human Mobile Devices (HMD) and mobile operator Vodafone.

The announcement was made through LinkedIn posts by Richard Pursey, Executive Chairman of SafeToNet, and James Robinson, Senior Vice President at HMD. Both emphasised that the phone is designed to address long-standing concerns about children’s exposure to harmful content on mobile devices.

The HMD Fuse integrates SafeToNet’s HarmBlock AI technology directly into the operating system. According to Pursey, this means it is not an app, cannot be removed, and does not require a cloud connection to function. He described it as “privacy centric,” adding that it continues to block explicit material even when accessed through encrypted apps or virtual private networks.

Pursey wrote: “We have launched the world's safest phone. A phone where a child CANNOT FILM, SEE, SHARE, BROADCAST OR SAVE explicit content. It’s ground-breaking, ethically developed AI. Boy are we proud.”

Parental controls and phased functionality

Robinson at HMD highlighted how the device incorporates parental control features, including app management, screen time limits, and real-time location tracking. He also explained that the Fuse can be configured to grow with a child, starting as a basic phone before gradually introducing more functions when parents consider it appropriate.

Robinson said: “The parental controls allow parents to supervise and manage their child's phone usage, including app access, screen time, and real-time location tracking. SafeToNet‘s HarmBlock AI technology built into the software allows the HMD Fuse to automatically detect and block nude content from the camera and screen across all apps.”

The HMD Fuse is described by HMD as the outcome of The Better Phone Project, which gathered insights through webinars, surveys, and research with more than 37,000 parents and children worldwide. Robinson noted that the project found parents dissatisfied with existing devices, which were either too open or overly restrictive.

Concerns around sextortion and child safety

In his LinkedIn post, Pursey framed the phone as a tool to address online risks including sextortion and the sexualisation of children. He wrote: “It’s a phone that stops sextortion and the sexualisation of children online. By working with our friends at HMD, we have embedded SafeToNet's HarmBlock AI deep into the operating system of the HMD Fuse device.”

SafeToNet, which co-founded the Online Safety Technology Industry Association, develops real-time AI tools aimed at protecting children online. The company works internationally with regulators and child protection bodies.

Vodafone partnership and market availability

The first release of the HMD Fuse protected with HarmBlock+ will be through Vodafone in the UK. Robinson cited research commissioned by Vodafone that found one in five secondary school-aged children (11–17) have felt pressured to share explicit images of themselves.

Pursey closed his LinkedIn announcement by thanking Vodafone for supporting the rollout. “Thank you Vodafone for seeing our vision and for bringing this to market. Thank you for working with HMD and SafeToNet to safeguard children. For helping us to extend a child's period of innocence. Thank you for at last, giving parents a viable answer to the impossible question of ‘do I, or don’t I, give my child a phone?’”