Richard Pursey: Building a Safer Digital World for Children Across the Globe

Richard Pursey is a technology entrepreneur turned child-safety advocate, having spent more than a decade developing and commercialising software solutions that ensure that the digital environments children rely on every day are designed with protection—not risk—at their core.

As well as a co-founder and Executive Chairman of SafeToNet and now a board member of the Child Safe Tech Alliance, Pursey is also an Executive Board member of ICMEC (International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children) and OSTIA (Online Safety Tech Industry Association). He is also an Advisory board member of the “AI for Safer Children Initiative” implemented in partnership by United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI), through its Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, and the Ministry of Interior of the United Arab Emirates.

From building companies to building protections

Pursey’s early career was rooted in technology and entrepreneurship, where he founded, led and subsequently sold multiple successful ventures. But as smartphones, social platforms, and always-on connectivity became central to childhood, it became clear that existing safety tools were not keeping pace with the risks children were facing online.

Rather than treating child safety as a filtering or monitoring problem, Pursey set out to address it as a safety-by-design challenge—one that required intelligent, real-time protection built directly into smart phones, tablets and gaming platforms. That vision led to the creation of SafeToNet in 2013, co-founded with his wife Sharon Pursey.

SafeToNet pioneered the use of artificial intelligence and behavioral analytics to identify and block harmful content and interactions—such as cyberbullying, abuse, sexual exploitation, and aggression—before they reach a child. Its technology operates on-device, prioritizing privacy while preventing harm at the source.

Technology that works at the moment it matters

One of SafeToNet’s most significant innovations, HarmBlock AI, reflects Pursey’s belief that child safety must be preventative, not reactive. By stopping explicit content from being viewed, shared, or filmed in real time, HarmBlock shifts the burden of protection away from parents and schools and into the technology itself.

Pursey has consistently argued that safety tools should not require constant supervision or technical expertise to be effective. If technology is intuitive enough for children to use, he believes, it should be robust enough to protect them by default.

This approach has gained traction with manufacturers, telecom providers, and policymakers who recognize that it is possible to make the device safe by embedding safeguarding technology within the operating system.

Influencing policy in the UK and the EU

Beyond product innovation, Pursey has played an active role in shaping digital safety policy across the UK and Europe. Through SafeToNet, he has engaged directly with lawmakers, regulators, and government bodies to advocate for child-first safety standards and on-device, embedded safeguards.

His work has intersected with major legislative efforts, including the UK’s Online Safety Act, where SafeToNet’s technology and insights have helped inform conversations about how platforms can be required to prevent harm rather than simply respond to it.

Why Richard Pursey Founded the Child Safe Tech Alliance

Pursey’s decision to co-create the Child Safe Tech Alliance is rooted in his belief that no single company, government, or sector can solve child digital safety alone. The Alliance’s focus on standards, collaboration, and shared responsibility mirrors the principles that have guided his work for years.

Pursey adds a critical international perspective to the Alliance—one grounded in practical solutions, legislative insight, and a clear understanding of how children actually experience technology.

As digital systems continue to shape childhood across borders, his leadership reinforces a simple but powerful idea: a safer digital world for children is achievable when technology, policy, and purpose work together.