Four year-olds are to be taught in school “to spot and recognise the signs of abuse and exploitation” as part of a police plan to counter the “explosion” in child sex crimes on the internet.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) will this autumn launch its first teaching packages for four- to seven-year-olds, warning them not to share pictures, reveal personal details or go online without telling an adult.
The nationwide programme, run by 7,000 teachers and care professionals, comes amid growing anger at the failure of social media and tech firms to prevent thousands of child abuse cases.
An average of one child per primary school class has been sent a naked or semi-naked image online from an adult, a recent NSPCC survey found.
Simon Bailey, the National Police Chief Councils’ (NPCC) lead on child protection, told the Sunday Telegraph: “We as a society have got to build resilience in young people so they understand when they are being groomed, the risks of sharing a naked image of themselves, the risks of county lines [gangs] threats.
Recognising the signs of abuse
“We have got to educate young people so they are able make informed choices and spot and recognise the signs of abuse and exploitation. It’s got to be taking place within the primary school environment, reinforced throughout secondary education.
“It’s got to be delivered by people who are not going on to teach maths or geography in the next lesson. It has to be done by people with credibility that children will listen to.”
As part of the blueprint, Mr Bailey also said he wanted leading technology companies such as Google and Facebook to put 5 per cent to 10 per cent of their research and development budgets into measures to prevent online abuse.
