Half of American Parents Say Kids Have Damaged a Mobile Phone, Laptop or Tablet

SquareTrade^® today revealed new research about kids and electronic devices. The study found that more than 50 percent of American parents say their kids have damaged a mobile phone, laptop, tablet or other portable device, costing parents more than $2.8B  in repairs and replacements.¹

"Just like their parents, kids use devices for an increasing number of things – from games and videos to research and homework. Our research shows that this increased usage also means that devices are more at risk than ever before, and we expect this trend to continue," said Ty Shay, CMO of SquareTrade. "We believe it's important to educate parents about these accidents because 60 percent are not covered by a protection plan, making repairs and replacements expensive and time consuming."

More than 85 percent of American kids now have their own mobile device and they use it more than ever: parents say their kids use mobile devices for an average of 3.2 hours a day.

• Kids 2 and under use for 1.5 hours per day
• Kids 3-6 use for 1.8 hours per day
• Kids 7-12 use for 3 hours per day
• Kids 13-17 use for 4.9 hours per day

The research also revealed the unexpected consequences of kids using mobile devices including unauthorized purchases, accidental calls, texts and photographs, and a surprising number of food and drink related accidents:

• Accidental calls & texts: 31 percent of parents say that their kids have called, texted, or messaged someone by accident on their parent's devices
• Unapproved purchases: 28 percent of parents say that their kids have purchased something on the parent's mobile device without permission
• Unintended photos: 9 percent of parents say that their kids have taken inappropriate photos with the parent's devices.
• Conflict: 36 percent of parents have bought an additional device in order to reduce conflict in their home
• Food & Drink: 33 percent of kid-caused accidents involved food or drink:
  • 50 percent involved milk
  • 19 percent involved chocolate
  • 17 percent involved candy
  • 16 percent involved yogurt
• Boy trouble: Boys were 35 percent more likely than girls to have caused the accident

SquareTrade suggests these 5 tips for protecting kids' devices and parents' wallets from unexpected device accidents:

1. Always keep devices in protective cases or covers
2. Never take your devices to the bathroom
3. Remind your kids not to eat and drink while using devices 
4. If your kids bring devices to school, make sure they don't over-pack their backpack and crush their tablet
5. Buy a protection plan so you're covered no matter what accident happens

PRNewswire