Dropping phone down toilet most common way to break it, among 18-24 year olds

 

• A new iSmash report uncovers the most common ways in which Brits break their mobile devices, from taking selfies to dropping phone in puddle
• 18-24-year-olds are the most likely to drop their phone down the toilet, with two thirds of those who broke their device admitting that this was how their device broke
• 25-34-year olds were the most likely to break their phone whilst taking a selfie
• Men are far more likely than women to damage their mobile whilst travelling to work on public transport (30 per cent vs 20 per cent)
• iSmash has created a quiz that determines how likely you are to break your device compared to the average Brit

New research from the UK’s high street tech repair company, iSmash, reveals the most common ways in which Brits damage their mobile devices – from dropping their phone while exercising, right through to smashing it while taking a selfie.

Aside from dropping your device while out and about, letting your phone fall while on the toilet came up as the most common way to damage it, especially amongst the younger generations.

Of those who broke their phone, a staggering 60 per cent of 18 and 24-year-olds admitted to having dropped their device down the toilet, closely followed by those in the 25-34 age bracket (51 per cent).

Perhaps surprisingly, it wasn’t those in Gen-Z who were the most likely to damage their device by taking a selfie – instead that accolade fell to millennials, with one in five of those breaking their phone in the 25 to 34 age bracket stating they’ve previously broken their device while taking a picture of themselves. There was also a clear gender split, with ‘selfie smashing’ 10 per cent more common amongst men than it was with women.

iSmash’s research also found that men were far more likely to damage their mobile device whilst travelling to work on public transport (30 per cent vs 20 per cent) and also while exercising (18 per cent vs 10 per cent). In fact, the only way in which women were more likely to damage their device was by dropping it down the loo (55 per cent vs 44 per cent).

Those travelling on public transport in Greater London broke their phone more frequently than anywhere else in the UK. 30 per cent of Londoners who have broken their device did so whilst on public transport, compared to 20 per cent of those in Scotland and just 10 per cent of those in the North West.

Despite the high likelihood of damaging or smashing smart devices, almost two thirds (63 per cent) of those in Gen-Z fail to take out insurance for their smartphone, followed by 65 per cent of 25-34-year-olds and 80 per cent of people aged 55 and over.

Says Julian Shovlin, Founder and Managing Director at iSmash: 

“In recent years we’ve seen an evolutionary development in smartphone design, with most phones now having both a glass screen and a glass back. Whilst these new features are attractive and innovative, they do affect the fragility of device, increasing the amount of breakages year on year.

“Everyone should consider repairing their device rather than replacing it when it breaks. Not only does this benefit the environment, but it’s also much more cost effective.”

To help Brits determine how likely they are to break their phone and map themselves against the national average, iSmash has created a free quiz: https://www.ismash.com/pages/selfie-smash-quiz