Safer Smartphone for Children Launches with Built-in Protection
By Jill Dando News
The Fusion X1, a new smartphone designed for children, offers enhanced safety features to help protect young users from harmful content.
Co-created by parents and the company HMD, the phone includes built-in software that blocks inappropriate content, alongside parental controls to limit browsing, messaging, and social media access.
Targeted at children aged 9-11, the Fusion X1 uses SafeToNet technology to automatically detect and filter harmful material. It also includes GPS tracking and "safety zones," alerting parents if their child leaves certain areas.
The Fusion is the latest device that aims to bridge the gap between smart and “dumb” phones as concern grows over the impact of devices on children. Others include Pinwheel, which has been launched in the UK, and the US-based Gabb and Bark phones.
Parents can also set approved contact lists, ensuring children can only communicate with trusted numbers.
The phone, which will launch in May and cost between £200 and £250, is part of a growing effort to provide safer smartphone options for kids.
With increasing concerns about online safety and screen time, the Fusion X1 offers an option that integrates these protections directly into the device, rather than relying on third-party apps.
Alison Winsborough, assistant principal at Atlantic Academy in Dorset, said: “It is a difficult line to tread as a parent: allowing your child some independence whilst hoping they are able to make grown-up choices. Whether it be the time a phone should be put away ahead of bedtime, avoiding the ping of notifications distracting from homework or knowing that your child is where you think they are, I am excited that there will now be a phone that has built in as standard the features that safeguard our kids.”
This launch reflects a wider push to create smartphones that are not only age-appropriate but also secure, addressing the challenges of keeping children safe in an increasingly digital world.
