App stops children taking nude pictures

 A “sexting filter” that blocks children from taking naked pictures or writing inappropriate messages has been invented by a British entrepreneur. The new app can turn off the phone camera when it is used for sending indecent images and detects when a child is typing inappropriate messages using a keyboard detection tool.

The app uses image recognition software to spot nudity in pictures and will censor it and switch off the camera for up to 20 minutes. If a child repeatedly tries to send intimate messages the software will lock the camera for longer.

If they try four times within 24 hours, the firm behind the app, Safetonet, will send a message to a parent’s phone and they will be given the option to lock the child’s device.

Richard Pursey, the Safetonet founder, came up with the idea after creating a system to digitally “ground” his children by blocking smartphone use. Police have dealt with 4,000 children for sexting since 2013.