A North West entrepreneur has launched a new social media platform designed specifically for children as young as eight, aiming to put wellbeing and safety at the heart of digital interaction.
Cheshire-based Hugh Shepherd, who has recently been featured in Entrepreneur, The AI Journal and on BBC Radio Sussex, has unveiled Liaura, a closed-network social platform where youngsters can connect, learn and play under strict safeguards.
The platform complies with the Online Safety Act and allows children to interact only with approved friends through moderated messaging, educational games and wellbeing features. Parents retain visibility and control.
READ MORE: The Prolific North Marketing Awards 2025: The Shortlist
At the centre of Liaura is the “Learn and Play Zone”, where children earn Aura Points by engaging in activities designed to build confidence, kindness and curiosity. Examples include Eco Island Rescue, a game teaching sustainability through play, and Just Chill, a meditation space for calm and creativity. Children can also explore music, discover future careers, build financial literacy and create personalised avatars.
Shepherd, who says his own difficult childhood experiences inspired the project, explained: “I didn’t have an easy childhood. So, reading time and time again about online harm and manipulation resonates with me. I could see that social media opened the floodgates of opportunity for people with malicious intent and resolved to do something about it
“But rather than constrain children and put up barriers, I wanted to create a safe space for them. But I also wanted it to have an inherent wellbeing and learning element.”
He added: “The current generation of 8 year olds are true digital natives. They won’t just grow up with technology, they will actively shape it. As AI, immersive technologies, and rapidly evolving digital ecosystems redefine how we live, learn and work, equipping children with the right tools, safe spaces, and digital skills is, I believe, more important than ever.”
Shepherd said Liaura is about more than just managing online risks: “Digital safety isn’t simply about managing risk or enforcing rules, it’s about building readiness, cultivating confidence, resilience and critical thinking for the complex digital world children are inheriting. The time to start is now.”
