Child abuse experts are targeting children as young as five for the first time to teach them about the dangers of online paedophiles.

Pupils in primary schools across the country will be introduced to Hector’s World, a series of five animated characters including Hector the dolphin and PC Jim, who will explore how to use the internet safely.

The Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre has taken the idea from New Zealand, where authorities have found the cartoons to be helpful in teaching children about the dangers of using the internet.

As part of their ThinkuKnow campaign, CEOP has introduced its own character, PC Jim, a seahorse, who plays a supervisory role and checks how the children are doing. He will appear alongside Ranjeet the crab.

Research has shown that 59 per cent of children between 5 and 7 have access to the internet at home and 21 per cent use it by themselves.

The initiative was launched today at St Vincent De Paul RC Primary School, Victoria, London.

Jim Gamble, Chief Executive of CEOP, said: “We know that children are now using the internet at an increasingly young age.

“It is never too early to start giving children "safety first" messages: in the same way that we teach small children to cross the road safely, there is a need to ensure that young children learn good habits for a future life online. If we give them early lessons in a way that is engaging, relevant and fun, we can help to safeguard young children online not only now but well into the future.

“We hope that every primary school in the UK will open its doors to Hector’s World for the benefit of all 5-7 year old students.”

Niel McLean, Executive Director of Institutional Workforce and Development at Becta, the government’s education technology agency said: “CEOP’s ‘Hector’s World’ programme is a welcome addition to the support and guidance surrounding e-safety that is currently available to parents, carers and teachers. It’s vital that the work to educate children about the benefits of technology continues with innovative and engaging schemes such as this."

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