The HMD Better Phone Project has borne fruit, in the form of HMD Fuse protected by HarmBlock+.
Announced today, the HMD Fuse is a Co-Design initiative following consultation with 37,000 parents and children and developed in partnership with online safety experts SafeToNet (creators of HarmBlock AI).
It is the world’s first smartphone for children that blocks nude content across camera and apps, and it is the first smartphone that protects a child’s innocence by stopping nude content from being filmed, seen, shared and stored.
Editor’s Thoughts
Kevin was lucky enough to have attended a media pre-briefing under embargo for the HMD Fuse.
One of the questions asked was whether this was in response to the Australian Government social media ban for teenagers. The short answer from HMD is no, this has been in train for a while. From the demonstration, the HMD Fuse goes far beyond a simple ban hammer. It is a device to help parents and children set and maintain boundaries, and the freedom to “graduate” with trust and maturity.
Kevin has shared his views on the Australian Government approach to social media and children in a three part editorial last October.
The HMD approach is more nuanced. At the end of the day, parents still have to parent. As Kevin has said previously, no amounts of legislation or technology will fix the problem in isolation. There are conversations to be had with our children, and some very open dialogue that is not a once off.
A key takeaway for the HarmBlock+ technology is that it has been trained on the only CSAM database in the world. I guess a way to describe the solution is that it an reactive proactive approach to inappropriate content and online stranger danger.
The proactive part is the ability to lock down every aspect and apps on the HMD Fuse via parental controls. This comes in the form of whitelisting phone numbers that can call or message is a key part of this, as well as permissible apps and features.
The reactive part is the ability of HarmBlock+ to blank out inappropriate content in real time. This includes not just media received, it also blocks the camera from being able to take photos of inappropriate content. For example, it actively prevents a child from being able to take compromising photos of themselves. By preventing the content from being created, it also cannot be transmitted to the internet.
As parents themselves, HMD executives shared their own personal stories with their children and communities, highlighting the struggles we collectively face with this frontier. This goes to the heart of the HMD Better Phone Project – it might take a tribe to raise a child, it also takes the tribe working together to protect our children.
In the live demonstration using printed images, the HMD Fuse recognised and blocked inappropriate images after a slight delay. The delay is unavoidable as it is a reactive protection, but that said, it was pretty quick.
Without trying it hands on, the HMD Fuse looks pretty good. Is it perfect? Probably not. But the important thing is, HMD is doing something different and tackling a problem we all know exists. Bravo to that!
The “Pornography Incompatible” HMD Fuse
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.”
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.
