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Back to School Survey Finds That Parents Replace More Than One Mobile Phone Per Child Each Year

With Retail Costs of Smart Phones Climbing to $650, Replacing Your Child’s Phone Can be an Expensive Lesson

Asurion, the global leader in technology protection services, today released consumer data proving that mobile phone insurance is an A+ back-to-school “must have,” as parents surveyed replace more than one mobile phone per child each year.According to Asurion’ s back-to-school data, forty-eight percent of high school and college-age students required a replacement device in the last 24 months. The majority of broken or misplaced mobile phones occurred at school (27%), while incidents at home (24%), outside (15%) and at fiend’s houses (14%) proved similarly dangerous for a student’s favorite mobile life-line.

Students lead active lifestyles, as shown in the laundry list of ways their mobile phones crossed over to the dark side, including running/playing (35%), near water (18%), cleaning (18%), sports (17%), watching sports (10%) and yard work (2%).

“Parents purchase mobile phones as a way to maintain direct contact while their kids are away from home,” said Taylor Gibbs, a recent college graduate, guest blogger at Gotta Have My Mobile, and public relations representative at Asurion. “As kid’s lifestyles become more active, the risk of losing or damaging their phone increases dramatically. Since asking kids to leave their phone at home is not an option, parents should consider insurance through their wireless carrier as a way to ultimately protect their pocketbooks.”

Fifty-percent of students and forty-three percent of parents surveyed believe a replacement device costs less than $200; however, in reality, replacement devices such as the Apple iPhone 4S and Samsung Galaxy S III cost more than two and three times that, totaling $650 and $550 respectively.

In addition to protecting your active student’s device with insurance, Asurion offers these, and other, helpful tips to keep mobile phones safe as well as being technologically prepared for the school year:

  • Invest in a good cover or case
  • Add a transparent film screen protector
  • Purchase mobile phone insurance when you buy or upgrade
  • Plug the phone charger into a surge protector
  • Go to GottaHaveMyMobile.com for more tips and tricks

About Asurion

Asurion is the leading global tech care company providing protection, repair, replacement, and 24/7 support for all the technology in consumers’ lives. With thousands of experts ready to help whenever and wherever, Asurion proudly cares for millions of customers with thousands of different devices. Asurion provides world-class customer experiences that keep tech running. As the Chief Technology Officer of the home™, we deliver seamless, intelligent care for nearly every connected device in the home — from phones to major appliances and everything in between. Asurion is ready to help however you need it — online, over the phone, in your neighborhood, or even at your doorstep. We are a partner to the largest enterprise brands, serving over 100 clients. For more information, visit asurion.com.

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