Internet training for under-sevens goes live

The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre has developed a cartoon about online safety, featuring a dolphin called Hector, which is aimed at five- to seven-year-olds.

Research from media watchdog Ofcom shows that nearly 60 per cent of five-to seven-year-olds use the internet, and 21 per cent do so unsupervised.

Jim Gamble, chief executive of the centre, said: "We know that children are using the internet at an increasingly young age. Teachers have asked us for this material because it is never too early to start giving children ‘safety first' messages."