What is SafetyMode?

SafetyMode is a parental safety control app for Android phones, co-designed by Mumsnet and their parent community. There are two versions:

• a free app that any parent can download from the Google Play Store onto a modern Android phone; and
• SafetyMode Plus, a £5.99-a-month subscription that adds remote management and alerts.

Rather than blocking children and teens from certain apps altogether, SafetyMode uses unique AI-based filters that read and block harmful content within the apps they already use – including WhatsApp, Snapchat, Roblox, YouTube and others. This lets children stay connected to friends and family without being exposed to nudity, bullying or explicit language or other harmful content that appears or is sent to them.

What is OtherPhone?

SafetyMode and Mumsnet have also developed OtherPhone: an Android handset (built on a Nothing smartphone) that comes with SafetyMode pre-installed. It’s aimed at parents looking for a “first phone” that’s safer by default, rather than a standard smartphone they then have to lock down themselves. OtherPhone is fully customisable and can even be set up as a brick phone, then grow with the child as restrictions ease. OtherPhone costs £279 and includes three months of SafetyMode Plus free.

SafetyMode runs in the background on a child’s Android phone and scans text and images as they appear on screen across apps, messaging and the web, rather than only filtering a browser or blocking whole apps outright.

Parents can set content filters based on the child’s age, personality and needs. When it detects content that it’s been set to flag – such as nudity, explicit language or harassment content – it blocks the screen in real time.

Parents can also set schedules for phone use and when certain apps are available, so the child has access to different apps depending on time of day, day of the week, holidays, etc.. SafetyMode is anti-addictive by design, so when an app has been blocked by the parent, it is completely hidden from the child’s screen, therefore removing all temptation.

Parental rules and filters

Parents set these rules from the outset:

• What content is filtered. Parents can adjust filtering rules app by app as their child gets older, so restrictions can loosen gradually rather than being all-or-nothing. The main filters are Harassment & Bullying; Obscene and Graphic text; Nudity; and Banned Words.
• Which apps are allowed. Only parents can download or remove apps. They can also schedule access – such as switched off during school hours or bedtime – or blocked entirely. Parents can also set time limits for each app. When an app is out of schedule, it doesn’t appear on the menu at all.
• Web access. Parents can block the browser altogether, restrict it to certain sites, block specific websites or block categories such as social media and adult websites.
• Location. SafetyMode will track a child’s phone location, updating roughly every 15 minutes.

Free, SafetyMode Plus or the OtherPhone?

On the free version of the app, changes are made directly on the child’s phone. With SafetyMode Plus, however, parents can manage filters, app access and schedules remotely from their own device. They also receive email alerts when the app flags something concerning. So, you don’t need to take the phone off your child to check or adjust settings.

All safety data is stored on the device itself, rather than sent to external servers, ensuring the privacy of your child and family.

OtherPhone has SafetyMode pre-installed from the start, and is anti-addiction by design. There are three interface screen options to choose from: a simplified list layout, a familiar icon grid or turning SafetyMode off entirely. The third option is a good choice as your child gets older and you’re looking to ease restrictions. With OtherPhone, you can set it up as a basic brickphone, then gradually relax the controls, as they grow.

At a glance, SafetyMode’s controls cover:

• Content filtering across all apps. Scans text and images in real time in messaging apps, social media and browsers, not just a standalone web filter.
• App management. Parents choose which apps to install, and can block or allow individual apps according to schedules they set.
• Screen time scheduling. Set time limits, restrict apps to certain hours, or block access completely (e.g. during school or overnight).
• Web filtering. Approve or block specific sites, block categories such as adult content, or disable the browser altogether.
• Location tracking. See a child’s phone location, refreshed roughly every 15 minutes.
• On-device data storage. Filtering and safety data stays on the phone rather than being stored elsewhere.

With SafetyMode Plus, parents also get:

• Remote management. Change filters, app permissions and schedules from your own phone or computer, without needing the child’s device in hand.
• Alerts and reports. Email notifications for parents when the app blocks or flags something.

• Protection that follows the content, not just the app. Filtering works inside apps like WhatsApp and Snapchat rather than only at browser level. This means it aims to catch harmful content that app-blocking alone would miss. As such, it can be useful for the many risks that now happen inside messaging and social apps rather than just on the open web.
• Controls that can grow with a child. Filters, app access and interface style can all be adjusted over time, so a 9-year-old’s phone and a 15-year-old’s phone can be set up very differently on the same underlying system. This is potentially useful if you want a ‘step-down’ approach to restrictions rather than switching everything off at once.
• A phone designed to be a first phone, not a locked-down adult one. OtherPhone bundles the fully age-customisable SafetyMode software into the phone, which may suit parents who don’t want to retrofit an existing device.
• Less need for constant checking. With location sharing, scheduling and alerts (on Plus), you might feel that you don’t need to check your child’s phone as regularly.
• Data kept on the device. SafetyMode’s on-device storage approach may appeal to families who are cautious about a child’s activity data being held on third-party servers.
• Backed by known names. SafetyMode and OtherPhone are co-designed with Mumsnet, and Nothing Technology is the hardware partner.

• Android only. SafetyMode currently works on Android phones with at least 4GB of RAM. There’s no iPhone version, so it won’t suit families set on iOS. OtherPhone itself is an Android device.
• Free vs paid features. The free app covers content blocking and filtering, scheduling and app controls, but you’ll need SafetyMode Plus (£5.99/month after the trial period) for remote management and alerts.
• OtherPhone is a UK-only product with an upfront cost of £279, on top of any ongoing SafetyMode Plus subscription once the free period ends.
• Location updates aren’t real-time. Location tracking refreshes every 15 minutes, rather than showing live movement.

More FAQs here.