HMD has released the HMD Fuse – a smartphone designed for young children with AI protection onboard designed to block nude content from the camera and across all installed apps.
The device has been developed in partnership with online safety experts and is the first smartphone that can stop nude content from being filmed, seen, shared and stored.
The on-device protection is provided by HarmBlock+ – an AI-powered system that gives parents the control on what apps and features of the device can be accessed.
It also provides full live tracking of their child’s location as well as blocking nudity from being shown, shot or stored.
The HMD Fuse will go on sale on August 28th at Harvey Norman an Officeworks and will be priced at $799 which includes a 12-month HarmBlock+ subscription. After that it’s $26.95 per month.
HMD says the smartphone protected with HarmBlock+ can be customised to each child and their own individual needs as they grow and mature.
When HarmBlock+ is activated all content and features are restricted by default and allows parents to control exactly what’s accessible by linking the HMD Fuse to their own smartphone.
Parents can have any other smartphone – Android or iPhone – to control and monitor HarmBlock+ on their child’s HMD Fuse.
Parents can block app stores and social media apps, restrict Internet browsing and camera use.
Parents could also decide who can contact their child via calls and messages by sitting up a list of trusted contacts.
Other settings allow parents to set daily usage limits for each app an even schedule screen free times when it’s time to study or bedtime.
Research by HMD that included Australian families revealed that one in three children have been pressured to take part in unsafe private chats while in Australia 1/3 have received sexual images via messaging apps.
Nearly half of all children have seen content they wish they didn’t while half have been upset at things they’ve encountered online.
The research also found that 46 per cent of Australian parents admitted regretting handing over a smartphone to their child and wished they had of put it off longer.
“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,” says 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.
“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.”
HarmBlock+ is embedded in the operating system and can’t be disabled or bypassed.
It has been trained on more than 22 million harmful images.
If the camera sees a nude, or even a scantily clad figure, the camera will shut down in a less than a second.
The camera also prevents nude or sexual photos or videos from being captured or sent.
HarmBlock+ operates locally on the device and works offline on any app, website or message.
And it also maintains privacy with no user data including photos, videos or browsing history shared outside the device.
Parents have the option of adding or removing any app from the device including the camera.
And as the parent sees fit, the child can enjoy appropriate digital experiences and gradually unlock things like music apps that access to the Internet and messaging apps.
HMD Fuse protected by HarmBlock+ is available from Harvey Norman and Officeworks from August 28, 2025, for $799 and includes a 12-month HarmBlock+ subscription (thereafter $26.95 per month).
