Careless children break a third of the gadgets their hardworking parents shell out for, new research revealed.
Four out of five kids aged between two and 14 own a laptop, smartphone, tablet or games console worth an average of £300, according to new data.
Despite their expense a third of these high value goods, only 30% of which are insured, are broken with a year.
The 2,000-strong survey by insurance company ProtectYourBubble.com also found that 40% of all children’s gadgets are quickly broken, costing £150 on average to repair.
This means hard up parents either have to pay for repairs out of their own pocket or shell out for new devices, something 75% of the survey’s respondents admitted to doing.
The research also revealed that 80% of children have their own tablet with 58% owning a games console more than half have their own smartphone. Nearly 40% of kids have a laptop, with just 16% owning a PC.
Stephen Ebbett, Chief Digital Officer at Protect Your Bubble said “As technology becomes more user friendly, it becomes more accessible to younger children.
Unfortunately, our research suggests that the majority of Brits only remember to insure the gadgets they use regularly meaning they’re neglecting to insure the tech they have bought for their children.”
The research also found that while three quarters of parents admit that they allow their child to have gadgets in their bedroom, a shocking 14% say they have no internet safety features installed on their kid’s devices.
Despite the lack of safety on the gadgets, the survey showed that the average age for a child’s first tablet is seven, and the average age for a first smartphone is 10.
The average child is allowed to spend 2.21 hours on their gadgets every day, and 13% of parents don’t set a time limit for their kids.
