Just a pic? New Vodafone research reveals one in five 11–17-year-olds have felt pressured into sharing an explicit image of themselves

To help families choose the phone that’s right for them, Vodafone launches ‘Connect and Protect’, alongside the exclusive HMD Fuse protected with HarmBlock+. Designed to grow with your child, it is the world’s first smartphone to help prevent explicit content* from being shown, captured, shared, or stored**.

• New research reveals one-in-five secondary school-aged children (11–17) have felt pressured into sharing an explicit image of themselves.

• 85% of parents are planning to buy their child a new phone before they start secondary school, but admit to having concerns around their child receiving explicit images (46%).

• Vodafone has launched ‘Connect and Protect’, a brand-new set of tools to help parents decide when to get a phone for their child, and how to choose the one that’s right for them. This includes resources developed alongside the NSPCC to decide if a phone is the best option; a bigger range of feature phones than any other major network***; and Secure Net – the best parental controls of any major UK network****.

• On its journey to become the best network for families, Vodafone is leading the way as the first mobile network operator in the world to launch the HMD Fuse protected with HarmBlock+, helping to prevent explicit content from being shown on screen, captured by camera, shared or stored.

• The HMD Fuse also offers parents real-time location tracking and the opportunity to personalise the device, starting at a “brick phone” and unlocking access to apps over time.

• Alongside the new research, Vodafone has released a video titled “Beyond the Symbol”, which aims to highlight the potential issues, so families can build healthy digital habits, keeping them connected and protected.

With September fast approaching and 85% of parents planning to buy their child a new device before they start secondary school, Vodafone has released new research looking at the concerns facing families at this pivotal moment.

While the vast majority (93%) of parents support their child having a device and access to the internet, it’s not without worry, with concerns about them being sent explicit images (46%) or sending such images themselves (28%). Vodafone’s research brings this to life, revealing one-in-five secondary school-aged children (11–17) have felt pressured into sharing an explicit image of themselves.

The study, which surveyed 1,000 parents and secondary school children aged 11–17, alongside 4,555 teachers, found that requests for explicit images came from more than just peers – 17% had been targeted by individuals pretending to be someone they trusted, like a classmate or friend online.

For many who shared images, the emotional impact was instant, with 36% experiencing immediate regret, and 28% anxious it might fall into the wrong hands. Nearly two thirds (63%) later discovered that their images or videos had been forwarded without their consent, with 27% of young people saying they’d seen explicit images of someone at their school via a friend’s device.

In its journey to become the best network for families, Vodafone has today announced the launch of ‘Connect and Protect’, a brand-new set of tools designed to support parents as they navigate whether to get a phone for their child and choosing the right one.

Bringing everything together in one place, the tools help to guide parents through the challenging milestone of deciding whether their child might be ready for a phone – with expert advice from NSPCC – as well as which type could suit them best. Whether it’s a feature phone or a smartphone, the resources help parents consider the options available with confidence. While 36% of parents are concerned about smartphones contributing to a reduced attention span, many also recognise the benefits, from supporting schoolwork (49%) to offering peace-of-mind through location tracking, which 65% of parents value.

With no need to search around, ‘Connect and Protect’ also showcases the widest range of feature phones of any major network***, as well as refurbished and new smartphones, all in one place. This is in addition to the launch of the new HMD Fuse protected with HarmBlock+, the smartphone that grows with your child. Born out of The Better Phone Project, HMD’s largest-ever co-design initiative, which consulted over 37,000 parents and children globally, the device bridges the gap between feature phones and smartphones, and is available exclusively at Vodafone, making the UK the first to bring it to families. And every phone with Vodafone comes protected by Secure Net, across mobile and broadband, offering the best parental controls of any major UK network**** for added peace of mind.

A first-of-its-kind smartphone, the HMD Fuse is protected with HarmBlock+, an advanced AI built directly into the operating system and the camera itself, making the device safer from the moment it’s switched on. HarmBlock+ helps prevent explicit content* from being shown on screen, captured by camera, or stored on the device. Designed to evolve over time and guided by an advanced parental control system, parents can choose to add or remove any application from the device, even the camera. The journey can begin as a “brick phone” with calls, texts, and location tracking. Over time, parents can gradually adapt the device, with decisions over app access and screen time in their hands.

The reality for young people online

41% of teachers reported explicit image sharing as a growing problem in their school, with more than one-in-four teachers (28%) saying they dealt with at least one incident of explicit images of students being shared by other students in the last academic year. Just 7% of teachers say that affected students had no behaviour changes, with most of those affected displaying increased anxiety (65%), lower moods (60%), increased absences (55%) and even falling grades (25%). Parents echo these concerns, with 85% wanting their children to have a device that allows a gradual, age-appropriate introduction to the online world.

In response to these findings, Vodafone has released a video titled “Beyond the Symbol”, which aims to highlight the potential issues and drive awareness of the support available, helping families to build healthy digital habits and keeping them connected and protected.

Helen Westerman, Head of Local Campaigns, NSPCC, said: “We know from speaking to young people that they value being able to access the online world before they become adults, so they can learn how to navigate it safely. But this must happen in an environment that protects them from harm. These findings show just how important it is to equip families with the right tools and support, so they know where to turn when help is needed.”

Nicki Lyons, Chief Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Officer, VodafoneThree said: “As parents prepare for the back-to-school season, many face the exciting, yet often daunting, milestone of deciding if their child is ready for a device and whether a basic phone or smartphone is the right fit. We’re proud to launch ‘Connect and Protect’, a brand-new set of tools to support parents on this journey , and to be the first globally to offer the HMD Fuse protected with HarmBlock+, a new, safer kind of device for families as they navigate the online world. 2025 marks 15 years since we began our work in the digital parenting space and with our fantastic partners at NSPCC, we’re continuing to co-develop resources that help families to stay safe online.”

James Robinson, Vice President, HMD Family, said: “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. The HMD Fuse protected with HarmBlock+ addresses parents’ and children’s collective concerns about device access and online safety. It gives parents more control and peace of mind and helps to protect children from explicit content in real time, without encroaching on their privacy.”

Richard Pursey, SafeToNet Founder and Creator of HarmBlock, said: “SafeToNet exists to build a safer online world for families, with over 13-years heritage in the cyber-safety space. HarmBlock AI brings a new dimension to our parental controls technologies as it focuses on harmful content, as opposed to simply remotely managing a device and the apps running on it. By embedding HarmBlock and parental controls in the operating system, we have made devices safer, irrespective of the apps running on it. That is ground-breaking.”

Visit vodafone.co.uk/family to access the new ‘Connect and Protect’ tools and support, and for the new HMD Fuse protected with Harmblock+. Available from £33 a month (£30 upfront cost), the device will be in retail stores and online at Vodafone Family from 17:00 (BST) 20 August 2025.

*Explicit content refers to imagery or videos containing nudity and/ or sexual content

**About HarmBlockHarmBlock AI is designed to help stop explicit content from being seen, captured, or saved on the device. In mobile user testing conducted by SafeToNet, it achieves over 97% overall accuracy under scientific conditions, and over 90% overall accuracy in uncontrolled user, on-device testing in identifying explicit and neutral content. While highly accurate, no AI model is perfect, and performance may vary in real life conditions.

***Claim: “Vodafone has more feature phones than any other major network’’ offered online. A feature phone is: a type of mobile phone that has earlier generations of mobile technology, using simpler operating systems, with limited functions compared to smartphones i.e. it contains a fixed set of functions beyond voice calling and text messaging that is not as extensive as a smartphone’s. For example, it has a camera like a smartphone, but it doesn’t have the ability to download apps to access social media such as Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter) or Instagram.

Dated: 18.08.2025 and sourced:– Definition of feature phone | PCMag– Feature phone – Wikipedia

Vodafone offers 10 feature phones with the costs ranging from £20 to £79 for the device, plus the cost of any PAYG bundle: Nokia 3210, Nokia 2660 Flip, Nokia 110 4G, Nokia 105 4G 2nd Edition, HMD Barbie phone, HMD 2660 Flip, TCL OneTouch 5041 (2025), TCL OneTouch 4042s, Doro Leva L30, Doro 6820.

EE offers 2 feature phones with the costs ranging from £30 to £80 for the device, plus the cost of any PAYG bundle: IMO Dash Plus, TCL Flip 3

Virgin Media O2 offers 6 feature phones with the costs ranging from £19 to £79 for the device, plus the cost of any PAYG bundle: Doro 6880, HMD 105 4G, Doro Leva L20, Nokia 3210, Nokia 105 4G, HMD 2660 Flip.

Three offers 2 feature phones with costs from £75 to £99 for the device, plus the cost of any PAYG bundle: Doro 6820, Doro Leva L20

Sky Mobile doesn’t offer any feature phones.

**** Vodafone’s Secure Net offers the largest range of parental controls features across mobile and broadband compared with other major providers as of 9 July 2025.

HMD Fuse protected with HarmBlock+

Customers can pick up the new device exclusively on Vodafone, from £33 a month (£30 upfront cost). The device is also available for Three customers, following the merger of Vodafone and Three. Vodafone has exclusivity (alongside Three) on the HMD Fuse until 30 September 2025.In addition to HarmBlock+, the top features of the device include:

• Growth journey design – From brick phone to full smartphone, unlocked by parental discretion.

• Granular parental controls – Apps, web, contacts, and camera access fully managed via guardian app.

• Location tracking – Real-time updates, safe zone alerts, and 24-second tracking intervals. And you can turn on the live tracking for 30-minute intervals to save battery on both the parent’s and child’s device.

• Privacy-centric – No user data is collected, stored, or shared.

Research methodology

The research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 1,000 11–17-year-olds and 1,000 parents of 11-17-year-olds. The data was collected between 12.08.25 and 14.08.25. Censuswide abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society and follows the MRS code of conduct and ESOMAR principles. Censuswide is also a member of the British Polling Council.Supplementary research was conducted by TeacherTapp, a daily survey app that asks questions of over 11,000 teachers each day and reweights the results to make them representative. Survey of up to 4,555 secondary school teachers, carried out by Teacher Tapp from 16.08.2025 to 18.08.2025.

About Human Mobile Devices HMD (Human Mobile Devices) designs smartphones and technology rooted in what people actually need. Whether it’s stepping back from digital overload or helping families stay connected, HMD’s mission is to provide reliable, repairable, and responsible mobile tech. Learn more at www.hmd.com.

About SafeToNet The internet should lift children up, not put them at risk. SafeToNet is making that a reality and has been protecting children for over 13 years and now safeguards children in over 130 countries. Its groundbreaking technology, HarmBlock, is the first of its kind – built into devices to help stop harmful content before it can reach a child. By preventing cameras from capturing sexual images and videos, we tackle online threats at the source, protecting children in real time. We work with industry leaders and policymakers to make ethical AI the standard, ensuring every child can explore the digital world safely and freely. www.safetonet.com.