Whether you are a parent or teenager, internet use and online technology is full of navigation obstacles, and can often feel like there are few technology companies in the world that do little to help relieve engagement.
Most of the technological children use – from smartphones For social media – it was never designed with them specifically in mind. Finnish phone maker HMD is trying to change that and MWC 2025 introduced its new family portfolio with Fusion x1phone designed with children and children.
The phone It is designed in collaboration with Xplora, a company known best for its children's smart watches. The two companies have made a phone that allows teenagers to ask their parents to download applications from the Google Play store. Their parents, meanwhile, can remotely control their access to all applications and features through an accompanying application, while uploading and following time and location on the screen.
Read more: MWC 2025: All phones, wear, robots and AI live from Barcelona
Since most phones with parental controls or relying on an application that can be deleted or bypassed, or a commercial operating system that does not allow children to access the same applications their friends use, Fusion X1 combines applications -based controls, baked deep into its Android OS version. This creates a locked safe space, where children can still have limited access to Snapchat, WhatsApp and Tiktok-if their parents agree.
The flexibility provided by the Fusion X1 is to create options for families who know their children will need access to technology, but they may want to do so at their own pace and their rules. “The idea is to provide a device that is a stepping stone,” HMD's global head of the product, Adam Ferguson, told CNET. “In the end, a parent can give control of this management of the device itself, so it is part of gradual growth.”
It is an idea that is already making waves and attracts the attention of many people, not just the host of the actor and talk -jew Drew Barrymore, who spoke at the FMD event at the Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona. “What is appropriate for me may not be appropriate for you,” Barimore said of parenting of her two daughters who at the age of 11 and 13 currently have no smartphones.
Drew Barrymore appeared on MWC 2025 in Barcelona.
Berimore talked about his own experience of growing without borders and protecting against many dangers in the world, but also understanding that teenagers do not appreciate what is said to do. She said CMD is a company that feels understood to help parents move in the introduction of teenagers into technology. “This is very personal for me,” she said. “This is a very emotional journey.”
The Fusion X1 will be available in May for 229 pounds (approximately $ 290), but now you can prepare.
A better phone for children
HMD has announced its A project for a better phone Last summer and after interviewing 25,000 teenagers and parents, they discovered that both adults and children want some restrictions and boundaries around the use of the phone, and even do not mind their parents to monitor their location. This came as a surprise to the company – and for me. As a teenager at Noughties, all I wanted to use the Internet was to talk to school boys via MSN Messenger and I probably didn't want my parents to look over my shoulder.
But 52% of children HMD discussed that at some point a stranger were approaching the Internet, proving that the risk to young people on the Internet is powerful – and that they are aware of it. “We are on a mission to help deliver a much safer environment, knowing that there is no silver bullet, but there are certainly things we can try to do better,” says Jameseims Robinson, HMD America's SVP.
Through his research, HMD also realized that there were three stages that children move when they start using technology, Robinson says. First comes the initial connection, where they can be between 8 and twelve and start building healthy habits. The following are 13-16-year-olds who start using multiple phones with features, but who may not be ready for smooth access to the entire internet they need to offer. Then there are older teenagers who will probably move to more experience with adults.
Due to the flexibility of parental controls, the Fusion X1 can potentially be an appropriate phone for any of those age groups. “It's a device that grows with the child,” says Robinson.
It is likely that teenagers and parents will have a unique combination of concerns that can cover factors such as screen time, pornography, harassment and security. Wille be for families together to understand how children enter and occupy the digital world, and the phone as the Fusion X1 can help them do so on their own conditions.