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Most kids using smartphones or tabs before they can talk
PTI
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In this photo released by Nokia Corp., Nokia's new smartphones are displayed at Nokia World fair in Abu Dhabi, UAE / AP File Photo
In this photo released by Nokia Corp., Nokia's new smartphones are displayed at Nokia World fair in Abu Dhabi, UAE / AP File Photo

Tech-savvy children are using mobile phones or tablet computers before they can even talk, a new UK study has found.

Some 70 per cent 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 per cent - of youngsters are 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 per cent buying electronic devices for their children for educational usage, 'metro.co.uk' reported.

The study of 2,000 parents with children under 11 also showed 47 per cent of youngsters found information online for school work - compared to 15 per cent who use traditional books.

Also, 13 per cent of children have accessed something inappropriate online, while 13 per cent have called emergency number 999 accidentally.

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(Published 30 October 2013, 19:17 IST)