(Built-in protection. Finally.)
How do you tell someone they have a problem, especially when they don't know it yet? You could call it a convention. This blog is like that. Inviting every concerned parent for a serious talk.
Because you, dear parent, are facing a tech problem. Do not worry, it isn't your fault.
It's not due to a lack of interest or poor judgment. Quite the opposite. You care deeply. But the tools available to protect your child in the digital world? They're often built for adults and can be easily bypassed. And kids? They're clever. That leaves you stuck between trusting your child and fighting with their phone.
What are parental controls, really?
Before we can talk about solutions, we need to understand the problem.
We're not here to pitch, just to explain something that might not seem very exciting… but is actually crucial to your child's well-being. Because sometimes, the boring stuff? That's the stuff that really matters.
To help you make a more informed decision, let's break it down:
- Hardware refers to physical devices, including phones, tablets, and computers.
- Software is what runs on it, apps, browsers, controls, and operating systems.
Most parental controls apps in phones today are third-party software layered on top of adult-oriented smartphones. They can be downloaded, configured, and then bypassed. In fact, thousands of tutorials on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok demonstrate how to disable or bypass a phones parental control app. Some issues are resolved with a simple reboot or a settings change. Others by factory reset.
That's the hidden issue: When protections are just apps, they're optional. Optional doesn't cut it when you're trying to protect young minds. HMD when developing the first phone for teens had these issues in mind which helped to spark the idea of what is now HMD Fusion X1 - The smartphone for teens.
Why this phone for teenagers is different
Let's be blunt: companies that profit from your child's attention want them online, early, and often. That's why most solutions are just more apps, quick, cheap, and easily bypassed.
Apps like TikTok and Instagram have driven doom scrolling on smartphones, fueling distorted realities and rising insecurity among teens. HMD’s blog on smartphone risks and online safety for teens highlights the issue at its core and what parents can do.
This is why we chose a different route.
The HMD Fusion X1 wasn't built as just another smartphone for teens with kid-friendly settings. It was designed from the ground up, as a your kids first phone, a true parental control phone that puts safety and digital learning ahead of screen time.
How the system works
The operating system on the HMD Fusion X1 is custom-built and locked, with no open browser or app store on the youth phone by default. Parental controls aren't bolted on after. They're baked into the core of the system.
When the phone is first turned on, it's a clean slate: no social media, no browser, no distractions. You decide what gets added.
As a parent, you simply download the Xplora Guardian app to your own phone. Yes, any phone. This gives you complete control without needing to change your own device. From here, you manage everything:
- Which apps they're allowed to have
- When and for how long they can use them
- And much more, including screen time, schedules, and safe zones
All approvals and removals occur in real-time. As soon as you approve an app, it appears on their device. If you remove it, it disappears instantly.
Because everything runs through our locked system, it can't be bypassed like traditional parental control apps. You stay in charge, simply, securely, and without loopholes.
What can we take with us from this intervention?
Parents should never have to choose between giving their children a phone and protecting them from the worst of the internet. With the Fusion X1 and Xplora Guardian solution, you finally don't have to.
It's not just any smartphone.
It's peace of mind, built-in and designed for our young.
