Around 70 percent kids know how to use the gadgets before they even start primary school, researchers found. By the time children are five years old, they have typically sent 116 texts and 85 emails, the study found. More than one in four - 29 percent - of youngsters is playing games such as Angry Birds on smartphones and tablets before they can string a sentence together, according to the study by electronic learning company VTech. The use of smartphones and tablets is encouraged by parents, with 42 percent buying electronic devices for their children for educational usage. The study of 2,000 parents with children under 11 also showed 47 percent of youngsters found information online for school work - compared to 15 percent who use traditional books. Also, 13 percent of children have accessed something inappropriate online, while 13 percent have called emergency number 999 accidentally.