Whether you’re a parent or a teen, online life and tech use is fraught with obstacles to navigate, and it can often feel like there’s little the tech companies of the world are doing little to help ease the angst.

Most of the tech kids use — from smartphones to social media — was never designed with them specifically in mind. Finnish phone maker HMD is setting out to change that, and at MWC 2025 introduced its new Family Portfolio with the Fusion X1, a phone designed with kids and for kids.

The phone has been designed in collaboration with Xplora, a company known best for its kid-friendly smartwatches. The two companies have crafted a phone that allows teens to request permission from their parents to download apps from the Google Play store. Their parents, meanwhile, can remotely control their access to all apps and features through a companion app, while setting and tracking screen time and location.

Read more: MWC 2025: All the Phones, Wearables, Robots and AI Live From Barcelona

Whereas most phones with parental controls either rely on an app that can be deleted or bypassed, or a proprietary operating system that doesn’t give kids access to the same apps their friends are using, the Fusion X1 combines app-based controls baked deep into its version of Android OS. This creates a locked-down safe space, where kids can still have limited access to Snapchat, WhatsApp and TikTok — if their parents agree.

The flexibility provided by Fusion X1 is to create options for families who know their children will need access to technology, but may want to do that at their own pace and according to their own rules. “The idea is to provide a device which is a stepping stone,” HMD’s Global Head of Product Adam Ferguson tells CNET. “Eventually a parent could cede control of this management to the device itself, so it’s part of a gradual growing up.”

It’s an idea that’s already making waves and catching the attention of many people, not least actor and talk show host Drew Barrymore, who spoke at HMD’s event at Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona. “What is right for me may not be right for you,” said Barrymore on parenting her two daughters who at 11 and 13 currently don’t have smartphones.

Barrymore talked about her own experience of growing up without boundaries and protection from the many dangers of the world, but also understanding that teens don’t appreciate being told what to do. She said that HMD was a company she felt understood what it meant to help parents navigate introducing teens to 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 (roughly $290) but you can preorder now.

Better phone for kids

HMD announced its Better Phones Project last summer and after interviewing 25,000 teens and parents, found that both adults and kids wanted some limits and boundaries around phone use, and didn’t even mind their parents tracking their location. This came as a surprise to the company — and to me. As a noughties teen, all I wanted to use the internet for was to talk to boys from school over MSN Messenger and I certainly didn’t want my parents looking over my shoulder.

But 52% of kids HMD spoke to said that at some point they’d been approached by a stranger online, proving that the risk to young people on the internet is potent — and that they’re aware of it. “We’re on a mission to help deliver a much safer environment, knowing that there is no silver bullet, but there are certainly things that we can try to do better,” says James Robinson, HMD’s Americas SVP.

Through its research, HMD also came to understand there are three phases children move through when starting to use technology, says Robinson. First comes the initial connection, where they may be between 8 and twelve and start building healthy habits. Next up are the 13-16 year-olds who are starting to use more feature phones, but who may not be ready for unfettered access to all the internet has to offer. Then there are the older teens who will likely be transitioning towards a more adult experience.

Due to the flexibility of the parental controls, the Fusion X1 could potentially be an appropriate phone for any of those age groups. “It’s a device that grows with the child,” says Robinson.

It’s likely that teens and parents everywhere will have a unique combination of concerns that could encompass factors such as screen time, pornography, bullying and safety. It will be for families to figure out together how children enter and occupy the digital world, and a phone like the Fusion X1 could help them do that on their own terms.