KEY POINTS:
An animated Hector's Dolphin created in New Zealand is set to take the online safety message to thousands of 5 to 7-year-olds in the United Kingdom.
Law enforcement agency the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre chose Hector's World as a core online-safety resource - which may eventually be picked up in all the UK's primary schools.
It aims to keep young children safe from sexual abuse and grooming online.
The programme features five animated episodes in which a dolphin called Hector and his friends learn lessons - such as the importance of protecting private information - during their adventures. It was born in 2003, with the pilot episode and a website launching two years later.
Last year, it expanded with $438,000 in Government funding to include a further four episodes.
The episodes have been localised for their overseas audience. A seahorse police officer known as Constable Solosolave and narrated with an "urban-Pacific" voice, for example, became PC Jim, got a UK bobby's jacket and an English accent.
Hector's World managing director Liz Butterfield said education was needed because of the young age at which people went online.
Risks included cyber-stalking, identity theft and cyber-bullying.
"Learning how to protect your personal information online is a fundamental skill for children."
The UK law enforcement agency already provides online safety education for 8 to 16-year-olds in Britain but wanted to expand resources to cater to younger children.
