MMGuardian enters a crowded kid-safe-phone market | TechCrunch

If every dumb idea I ever had as a teenager was permanently captured on the internet, I’d be in for a rainbow of embarrassment. In today’s always-on and very socially networked world, kids and teenagers can quickly get themselves into trouble. The MMGuardian Phone is a smartphone produced in collaboration with Samsung that’s tapping into the power of AI to make phone use safer for kids and teenagers. 

A decade after MMGuardian’s app introduced a set of parental control tools, the company is back with a phone that implements many of the same ideas more deeply integrated into the device. The MMGuardian Phone is a smartphone designed from the ground up to provide safety and control for concerned parents.

Of course, MMGuardian isn’t the only company in this space – Bark Phone, Troomi, Gabb, and a slew of others are out there as well, and most of them are using the same Samsung device for their own versions of the kid-safer phones.

The smartphone pairs Samsung’s hardware with MMGuardian’s expertise in parental control solutions. The result is a device that not only offers advanced monitoring and control features but also incorporates anti-tamper technology to prevent workarounds. What sets the MMGuardian Phone apart is its use of AI. The phone uses deep learning models to scan texts and images directly on the child’s phone, prioritizing privacy and minimizing the need to send child images elsewhere for analysis.

For teenagers, the device’s AI can detect inappropriate selfies and alert both parents and children to potential risks. This feature provides an additional layer of protection against issues like sexting, sextortion, and cyberbullying, making the MMGuardian Phone unique in the market.

The MMGuardian Phone will be available in three models, starting at $119, with the MMGuardian Service priced at an additional $120 per year. The phone is unlocked and compatible with all major wireless networks in the US, allowing users to choose the airtime plan that best suits their needs.

The A03S (Based on Samsung’s A03S) features a 6.5-inch display, 32GB of storage, and runs on Android 11 operating system, supporting a 4G/LTE network. It has a 13MP main camera and a 5MP front camera. The A14, (based on the Samsung A14 phone),  boasts a slightly smaller 6.4-inch display but comes with double the storage at 64GB and a more recent Android 13 OS. It supports both 4G and 5G networks and upgrades the camera specs to a 50MP main camera and a 13MP front camera. The A15 (Samsung A15, as you might expect) matches the A03S in display size at 6.5 inches and runs on Android 13 as well, but it surpasses the others in storage with 128GB and has the same network support and camera specifications as the A14. All models share standard features like an ear jack and a 5,000mAh battery.

MMGuardian’s evolution from app to phone is a logical evolution of the company’s business, and it was first shown off at CES in Las Vegas this week – it’s going to be interesting to see how the AI tech will help keep the young technologists among us safer out there in the world.