WordPress plugin · Safeguarding
Pupil photos that blur the moment someone reaches for a screenshot.
Safeguarded Images WordPress plugin watches for screenshot shortcuts on desktop and blurs every image on your site before the capture lands. A notice explains why, and links to your safeguarding policy.
v0.2 · in beta
Works with any theme or page builder
Blurs before the capture
Images blur on the screenshot shortcut itself, so the saved file shows a blurred page and your notice.
No right-click saving
Right-click save, drag-to-desktop and long-press save are switched off on every image.
No editor setup
Finds images in the rendered page, so the block editor, Elementor, Divi and the rest all work the same.
States your policy
Visitors see a clear safeguarding message with a link to your policy, written in your own words.
In the press
Pupil photos on school websites are a growing target.
Criminals are taking ordinary school photos, altering them with AI and using them to blackmail schools and families. The government, the police and child protection charities are now telling schools to rethink what they publish.
The Guardian · 8 May 2026
UK schools should remove pupils’ online photos as AI blackmail threat grows, say experts
Experts warn that “criminals are using AI to manipulate photos of children and then demand cash not to publish them”.
Schools Week · 18 Jun 2026
More schools fear blackmail over pupil images posted online
The Department for Education warns: “Automated tools can harvest photographs from public online platforms, such as school websites or social media.”
The Guardian · 3 Jul 2026
UK parents warned over posting images of children amid AI sexual abuse fears
The National Crime Agency and the Internet Watch Foundation urge families to keep children’s photos off public display online.
LBC
Cyber-gang ‘demand £250k ransom from school’ over AI images of pupils
Criminals allegedly scraped photos of around 30 girls from a school’s website, altered them and demanded payment in bitcoin.
Safeguarded Images makes it harder for people to capture photos from your pages. It can’t stop automated tools downloading image files, so use it alongside the advice in these articles: fewer identifiable photos, and no full names next to them.
How it works
It reacts to the keys before the screenshot does.
On a Mac, every screenshot shortcut starts with Command and Shift. The plugin blurs the page the moment those two keys go down, before the 3, 4 or 5 reaches the operating system.
On Windows, PrintScreen and the Snipping Tool both take focus away from the browser. Either one triggers the blur too.
⌘ ⇧
Mac screenshot shortcuts
Blurs on Cmd+Shift, ahead of Cmd+Shift+3, 4 and 5.
PrtSc
PrintScreen
Blurs the page and clears the clipboard where the browser allows it.
focus
Window loses focus
Covers the Snipping Tool and most capture apps, which take focus when they open.
Printing the page
Images are hidden from printouts and Save as PDF.
// nothing runs in wp-admin, the Customizer or page builder previews
What it covers
Every image on the page, whatever built it.
The plugin works on the finished page in the browser. It doesn’t matter which theme, builder or gallery plugin put the image there.
Works with
- Block editor
- Elementor
- Divi
- Beaver Builder
- Bricks
- Oxygen
- WPBakery
- Classic themes
| Element | What it covers |
|---|---|
<img> | Standard images, including responsive <picture> sources |
<video> | Video frames and poster images |
<image> | Images inside SVG graphics |
background | CSS backgrounds, inline or in a stylesheet, including ::before and ::after. Removed rather than blurred, so text on top stays readable. |
// Switch it off on the press page.
add_filter( 'hd_sgi_enabled', function ( $enabled ) {
return is_page( 'press' ) ? false : $enabled;
} );Settings › Safeguarded Images
Active on the front end
| Mode | All images |
| Blur strength | 28px |
| Never blur | .site-logo img, .no-blur |
The default mode blurs images, videos and background images only. Whole page mode blurs everything except the notice. Logos are left alone by default. Add class="no-blur" to anything else.
What it won’t do
A deterrent, and we say so plainly.
No website can stop every screenshot. Safeguarded Images makes casual copying harder and puts your policy in front of anyone who tries. Use it alongside the measures that matter most.
It deters
- Desktop screenshots on Mac and Windows
- The Snipping Tool and most capture apps
- Right-click save and drag to desktop
- Long-press save on phones and tablets
- Printing or saving the page as a PDF
It can’t stop
- Screenshots taken on a phone or tablet
- Someone photographing the screen
- Browser developer tools
- Some third-party capture software
Pair it with
- Up-to-date photo consent records
- Location data stripped from every upload
- Modest image sizes on public pages
- No names next to identifiable photos
Who it’s for
Built for sites with a duty of care.
Schools
Primary, secondary and independent schools publishing photos of pupils at events and in class.
Trusts
Multi-academy trusts that want the same safeguarding setup across every school site.
Nurseries and clubs
Early years settings, sports clubs and youth charities with safeguarding responsibilities.
Agencies
Web agencies who build for education and want one licence to cover their client sites.
Pricing
One annual licence. Pick how many sites.
Every plan includes every feature. The only difference is the number of websites you can activate it on.
A single school
1 site
One school website, fully covered.
£99 /year
£99 per site
Small trusts
3 sites
A small trust or a school with a nursery and sixth form site.
£179 /year
£60 per site
Trusts and agencies
10 sites
Multi-academy trusts and agencies with a handful of school clients.
£349 /year
£35 per site
Agencies
25 sites
Agencies managing a portfolio of education websites.
£599 /year
£24 per site
- Updates for as long as your licence is active
- Move a licence between sites at any time
- Secure checkout and invoices
No. Phones don’t tell the browser when a screenshot is taken, so no website can block one. The plugin does switch off long-press saving on phones and tablets, and the notice still appears for desktop visitors.
No. Common logo classes are excluded by default. You can add your own selectors under Never blur, or add class="no-blur" or data-no-blur to any image or the element around it.
Some sliders and galleries draw images on a canvas, which the default mode can’t reach. Switch to Whole page mode and everything except the notice blurs.
No. It does nothing in wp-admin, the Customizer or page builder editing previews, so editors work as normal.
Yes. The heading, message and policy link are all editable in the settings, so the notice can match your own safeguarding policy.
Yes. The hd_sgi_enabled filter turns it off on any request, and the blur strength is a CSS custom property your theme can override.
Available now. Protect your pupil photos today.
Install Safeguarded Images on your school website in minutes. Annual licences start at £99 a year for a single site.