Child safety software co-designed by Mumsnet will gain additional safeguards thanks to a partnership between social impact company SafetyMode and the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF).
UK-based SafetyMode, which designs smartphones for children, says joining the IWF as a Member will help it offer an even stronger layer of protection against harmful online content.
The company makes smartphones safer for children without removing the features that make them useful for learning, friendships and everyday connection.
They tackle both the addictive features of smartphones and their apps, and protect kids from the harmful content that could be displayed in an app.
Its software uses on-device AI to understand, monitor and block harmful content across every app on a child’s phone.
The software is used on the OtherPhone, a smartphone co-designed with Mumsnet and using hardware from Nothing.
SafetyMode will integrate the IWF’s URL List, Non-Photographic Imagery URL List and Keywords List into its services.
These intelligence feeds will help SafetyMode block known webpages containing child sexual abuse material, disrupt access to non-photographic child sexual abuse imagery and strengthen detection of language associated with the sharing of child sexual abuse images and videos.
By using IWF data, SafetyMode can further improve the safeguards available through OtherPhone and SafetyMode when installed on Android smartphones, giving parents stronger tools to protect children from grooming, sextortion and other risks while supporting a wider digital landscape that rejects and disrupts the spread of child sexual abuse material.
Bertie Aspinall, Managing Director and Co-Founder, SafetyMode Technology, said that children should be able to benefit from technology in safety, and working with the IWF will help further protect children.
Mr Aspinall said: “Parents today face a seemingly impossible dilemma. Their children need smartphones for school, for friendships and for the journey home. However, recent Mumsnet research found that 77% of parents say keeping their child safe online feels like an impossible task.
“The Internet Watch Foundation is the gold standard worldwide for painstakingly and relentlessly pursuing an internet that is free from child sexual abuse. SafetyMode believes the internet should be accessible and safe for children, supporting friendships, learning and enjoyment.
“Partnering with the IWF means SafetyMode can further strengthen the safety net of protection it offers children against harmful content, whether they use apps, social media or the wider internet, while giving parents meaningful control, assurance and peace of mind.”
Kerry Smith, Chief Executive Officer of the Internet Watch Foundation, said: “Modern life is increasingly spent online and there are benefits for children, such as access to education and information or to be able to make those important social connections.
“But the internet holds many risks, not the least of which is exposure to harmful and age-inappropriate content. Last year, IWF analysts actioned more than 311,000 reports of confirmed child sexual abuse material found online.
“We work with tech companies to help stop that criminal content from spreading further and welcome efforts by companies like SafetyMode to make the internet a safer place for all. Children deserve digital spaces that have child protection at their core.”
The IWF works to eliminate child sexual abuse imagery online, preventing the ongoing victimisation of those abused in childhood and making the internet safer for everyone. Its analysts assess reports of suspected child sexual abuse images and videos, identify criminal content and work with partners around the world to have it removed.
By joining the IWF, SafetyMode gains access to specialist services, intelligence and expertise designed to help organisations defend their users, prevent exposure to criminal content and contribute to a safer online environment for children.
Find out more about becoming a Member here.
