HMD Launches World-First Smartphone Designed For Children With New AI Technology That Blocks Nude Content From Camera And All Apps
Announcement posted by HMD (Human Mobile Devices 21 Aug 2025
"No child should be put in danger because of their device, and no parent should have to choose between connection and protection."
A Co-Design initiative following consultation with 37,000 parents and children, HMD Fuse protected with HarmBlock+ ushers in a new era in better online experiences for children.
"Pornography Incompatible" - Groundbreaking AI built into the device works across the camera and screen to prevent children from filming or sending nude content, and from seeing or saving nude and sexual images. Embedded into the device and pre-trained on 22M harmful nude images, it's a protection tool that children can't bypass.
The first smartphone that can grow with your child. Starting as a basic device, HMD Fuse protected with HarmBlock+ gradually introduces features when the parent or guardian and their child are ready.
Access to inappropriate content and online stranger danger soars amongst Australian children - 32% have been shown or sent sexual or violent content, 43% have been contacted online by someone they don't know, 21% have had a stranger try to move them to an encrypted chat
Sydney, Australia - 21st August 2025 - Human Mobile Devices (HMD) best known as the makers of Nokia phones, has today launched the HMD Fuse, protected by HarmBlock+, the world's first smartphone for children that blocks nude content across camera and apps. Developed in partnership with online safety experts SafeToNet (creators of HarmBlock AI), it is the first smartphone that protects a child's innocence by stopping nude content from being filmed, seen, shared and stored. Available in Australia from August 28 for $799 from Harvey Norman and Officeworks, the HMD Fuse protected with HarmBlock+ marks a watershed moment in digital parenting and online safety.
The HMD Fuse protected with HarmBlock+, is a new 'stepping stone' smartphone for families designed to tackle the growing online safety crisis for children while providing a first-of-its kind solution for Australian parents. Designed to keep children safer online with built-in, operating system-level parental controls and AI-powered harm-blocking technology for real-time protection from nude content, the HMD Fuse arrives at a time when cyberbullying and online stranger danger is soaring amongst Australian children.
The HMD Fuse protected with HarmBlock+ can be custom-built to each child and their own individual needs as they grow and mature. Upon activation, all content and features are restricted by default, giving parents complete control over what's accessible through linking the HMD Fuse to their own phone. From App stores to social media, internet browsing, camera use and even contact additions, allowing them to ensure that their child's access is only what is suitable for their age and maturity and managed by the parent. The HMD Fuse is built on HarmBlock AI, an AI-powered system designed to stop harm before it starts. Harmblock AI prevents nudity from being shown, shot and stored.
The parental controls allow app management; parents can approve or block apps, set daily usage limits for each app, and even schedule screen-free times for specific activities like bedtime or study time. It also allows for real-time location tracking with location history and safe zone alerts helps parents keep track of their child's whereabouts. In addition, parents can whitelist trusted contacts, limiting calls and messages to approved individuals, enhancing communication safety.
The risks are no longer hypothetical. According to global research conducted by HMD this year and including Australian families, 1 in 3 children worldwide have been pressured into unsafe private chats, while in Australia a third have already received sexual images, often via messaging apps. In addition, nearly half of children have seen content they wish they hadn't and almost half have been upset or scared by something they've encountered online, trends that highlight the vulnerability of children using devices that weren't designed with their protection in mind.
"We believe this will be the most impactful smartphone launch of the year. "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," said James Robinson, Vice President, HMD Family.
"When you give your child a smartphone, you bring a stranger and unknown dangers into your home. You can't always watch them online, but now you have peace of mind that there's protection in place even when you can't be there, all while keeping their privacy in place. That's why we believe this is a huge step forward in making a safer phone."
"This is the first step in rewriting the rulebook on family tech. We're not just giving kids access to technology; we're teaching them how to navigate it safely. This is more than a product. It's a safety net, a statement of intent, and a response, because no child should be put in danger because of their device, and no parent should have to choose between connection and protection."
Powered by HarmBlock AI
World-first AI: HarmBlock is a brilliant example of using tech for good. It is embedded deep into the operating system (it's not an app or on the cloud) so it can't be bypassed or disabled. It's a first-of-its-kind AI protection system, ethically trained on over 22 million harmful images. The camera helps prevent children sending nude content, stopping sexual photos or videos from being captured. HarmBlock AI operates locally, offline, on any app, camera, website, or message. It is tamper-proof, privacy-centric (no user data, including photos, videos, or browsing history, is shared outside the device), and impossible to circumvent.
"This is a line in the sand. HarmBlock+ can't be removed, tricked, or worked around. It doesn't collect personal data. It just protects every time, across every app, including VPNs, with zero loopholes," said Richard Pursey, Founder of SafeToNet.
"We are seeing a rise in peer-to-peer online abuse and child exploitation. This is the first and only AI to stop that. In essence, we have made the HMD Fuse pornography incompatible."
A Phone designed to grow with your child
Every family is one of a kind, and every child develops at their own pace. Unlike any smartphone before it, the HMD Fuse protected with HarmBlock+ is designed to evolve with your child, guided by an advanced parental control system on their own device . From the very moment the device is activated, everything is set to block by default with nothing accessible until the parents decide otherwise
Parents can choose to add or remove any application from the device (even the camera). So with the HMD Fuse protected with HarmBlock+ the child can start their digital journey using this smartphone as a "brick phone" with calls, texts, and location tracking only . Over time, they can gradually unlock features like music apps and eventually controlled web access and messaging apps .
HMD Fuse protected with HarmBlock+ top six features at a glance:
· HarmBlock AI (Blocks Nudity On Screen) - Blocks naked and sexual imagery from being recorded, seen sent, and stored across any app or platform including livestream — using a local AI engine that lives inside the phone, not the cloud.
- Growth Journey Design - From brick phone to full smartphone, parents can enable features as their child matures — from app access to camera use — tailoring the experience at every stage.
- Granular Parental Controls - Apps, web, contacts, and camera access fully managed via guardian app. All features are opt-in, not opt-out. Everything is blocked until the parent enables it. Socials, app store, online access, even adding contacts requires approval
- Contact Whitelisting - Messages and calls only from approved contacts. No strangers. More peace of mind.
- Location Tracking - Real-time updates, safe zone alerts, and 24-second tracking intervals all on the parent app. And 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. HarmBlock AI processes data locally, never shares or stores user activity.
Born From The Better Phone Project
The HMD Fuse protected with HarmBlock+ was born out of The Better Phone Project, HMD's largest to date co-design initiative, which consulted over 37,000 parents and children globally, including Australia. Parents message was clear: "There is no device on the market we fully trust to keep our children safe online."
During The Better Phone Project Parents reported a lack of balance; devices were either overexposed to risk or too locked-down to be functional. With safety apps often easy to bypass, families needed something more robust, more intelligent, and far more intentional. They need a phone that grows with their child.
Dan Sexton, Chief Technology Officer at the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) said:
"Children and young people are increasingly being exposed to criminals and predators who can target them through their phones, putting them at risk of grooming, exploitation, coercion, and abuse."
"We know any device with the internet and a camera can, sadly, be an open door for criminals to access any home and inflict the most extreme abuse. This can cost lives.
"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."
Dr Grace Hancock, a leading Australian child and adolescent clinical psychologist, said:
“It can be really challenging for parents to strike the right balance between giving their children freedom—both online and in life—while also keeping them safe. A key part of this is understanding where your child is at: their maturity, their readiness, and how much independence is appropriate at their current stage. We want to support their continued growth through adolescence, while also recognising the risks and knowing when we need to step in and provide that external protection because they are not developmentally ready to do that on their own just yet.
The HMD Fuse allows adolescents to still progress through the important process of individuation, where they're seeking independence and their own social connections. Alongside this, parents can gradually give them more access to the online world as they gain the skills and maturity to handle it."
Availability & Pricing
HMD Fuse protected by HarmBlock+ is available from Harvey Norman and Officeworks from August 28, 2025, with a recommended retail price of $799 outright including a 12 month HarmBlock+ subscription (thereafter $26.95 per month). Customers connecting to eligible plans at participating retailers, can take advantage of exclusive gift card offers.
Imagery & Video The digital press kit for the HMD Fuse, including spokespeople and case study videos, can be found HERE
Inbox extras for the children
The device comes with two inbox covers for the phone including a blue flashy outfit - This outfit features a foldable LED light ring that fits neatly around the camera unit so you can evenly light your subjects. When you want to take a selfie. Flip the light ring over the top and now you're the one who is ready for their close-up. The TPU used in this product is 100% recycled.
Key HMD Market Research Statistics for Australia
In February 2025, a global survey from HMD of more than 12,000 children aged 8-15 in Australia and other key countries looked at online safety, bullying, harmful content and screen addiction
- When asked about their experience on social media or messaging apps
o 32% have been shown or sent sexual or violent content (40% globally)
o 57% have been bullied or made to feel small (similar to global)
o 44% have seen something they wish they hadn't (53% globally)
o 49% have been scared or upset by something they have seen (53% globally)
- 43% have been regularly contacted online by someone they don't know in real life
- 21% have had a stranger try to move them into an encrypted chat (37% globally)
- 2/3 of kids have felt pressure to have a phone because others around them had one
- Almost all kids understand why parents would want to monitor their phone use
July 2024 HMD Survey
Global survey of 10,000 parents (2,000 from Australia) found that 11 years old was the average age when parents across the world hand over a first smartphone to their child.
- 46% of Australian parents regret handing over a smartphone to their child and wish they had waited longer, with 1/3 citing they have seen negative side effects.
- 55% say their child's phone use is a source of big arguments and a third have cried over their child's phone obsession.
- 77% of Australian parents think social media puts children under too much pressure
- 74% say it's not good for their child's mental health
- 54% want more support to help them manage their child's screen time.
- 80% of parents would like schools to educate children on the dangers of social media, while a majority call for schools to ban phones.
- 54% of parents want more guidance and support to help manage screen time
- 80% of Australian parents fear smartphones expose their children to stranger danger
- 56% of parents admit they don't know what their children get up to when using phones
- Two-thirds of Australian parents say they would like a "child-friendly" phone and 44% say they would like more control as parents but do not know where to begin
- 60% say that their child's phones affect their learning
- 58% fear their children could be bullied through their smartphones, 68% fear it increases the change they could be blackmailed.
- 75% think social media companies should do more about children's phone usage
- 45% of Australian parents report a change in their child's personality after they started using a smartphone, 47% report a short attention span, and 38% think their child has been less able to express their emotions
- 27% say their child now has body image issues due to phone use and being online
- Over half (54%) of surveyed parents say that phones are useful for tracking and knowing where their children are.
- While 44% say it gives them another way to interact with friends.
About Human Mobile Devices
HMD (Human Mobile Devices) best known as the makers of Nokia phones, designs smartphones and technology rooted in what people actually need. Whether it's stepping back from digital overload or helping families stay connected, HMD's mission is to provide reliable, repairable, and responsible mobile tech. Learn more at www.hmd.com.
About SafeToNet
The internet should lift children up, not put them at risk. SafeToNet is making that a reality and has been protecting children for over 13 years and now safeguards children in over 130 countries. Its groundbreaking technology, HarmBlock, is the first of its kind - built into devices to help stop harmful content before it can reach a child. By preventing cameras from capturing sexual images and videos, we tackle online threats at the source, protecting children in real time. We work with industry leaders and policymakers to make ethical AI the standard, ensuring every child can explore the digital world safely and freely. www.safetonet.com.
For more information, please contact:
David Wolf
Closer Communications
0411 111 787
Anya Mitchell
Closer Communications
0435 938 983
Jada Chalouhi
Closer Communications
0421 224 090