During a recent segment on BBC Radio, journalist Ian Puckey confessed he had “fallen out of love” with social media. Once a useful tool for sharing interviews and connecting with friends, he now rarely posts personal content and avoids putting details about his children online without their permission.
It was a fitting lead-in to his guest, Jay Boisvert, CEO of Wunder, a new social media platform built for one purpose, to clean up the mess.
“We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel,” Boisvert said. “We’re just trying to make social media a little bit better.”
Wunder, which launches in a few weeks, is a fully verified platform. That means every user must prove their identity with government-issued ID. The process is backed by AI and connected to official sources such as the DVLA and passport systems. And it’s strict. No one under 16 is allowed on, period.
“At first, we thought about allowing 12 to 15-year-olds with verified parental consent,” Boisvert explained. “But I’ve got four kids under 16, and they’ve already got enough screen time without adding social media to the mix. I just didn’t feel comfortable with it anymore.”
He cited his own discussions with ministers and online safety experts, as well as documentaries like The Social Dilemma and Netflix’s Bad Influencer, which explores the darker side of child-led content creation. “Some kids are doing 12-hour days creating videos for likes. That’s not childhood. That’s unpaid labour.”
Wunder draws a hard line. While users can share family moments, monetised videos where children are the focal point are not allowed. “You want to post with your kids, that’s fine,” Boisvert said. “But if your child is the star of the show, and the show is making money, that’s where we say no.”
Puckey challenged him gently, asking whether such a safety-first approach might feel too restrictive to users. Boisvert pushed back. “It’s still a social media platform. People will still get their feelings hurt. But the key is accountability. If someone wants to call me names, they can. Just not while hiding behind a fake account.”
That’s the deeper aim of Wunder, reducing toxicity by eliminating anonymity. Boisvert believes the big platforms have failed to act not because of technical challenges, but financial ones.
“They’re public companies. If Facebook suddenly verified its user base and admitted a billion of its accounts were bots or inactive, the share price would crash. So they keep it addictive, noisy, unfiltered and profitable.”
Wunder is taking a different route. Forty percent of its ad revenue goes to good causes. Boisvert calls it “conscious capitalism” and says it’s part of building a healthier online environment.
Getting to launch hasn’t been easy. The team has already spent £1 million just validating the idea, and recently secured a further £50 million to bring it to market. Boisvert has recruited a top-tier marketing lead and lined up partnerships with well-known brands and celebrities for launch.
Puckey ended the conversation with a reflection many parents will recognise. “I’ve tried to educate my kids about the dangers of being online in a world I don’t fully understand myself. That’s hard.”
Boisvert agreed. “I wouldn’t be comfortable with my kids going on most social platforms right now. It’s still the Wild West out there. That’s why Wunder exists. We want to build something better, something I’d actually let my own kids use, when they’re old enough.”
The app launches soon. It’s called Wunder, spelled with a “u.” Verified users only. No under-16s. No bots. Just social media, with accountability.
