Overall, one in six Brits currently have a cracked phone screen and 20 per cent UK residents would be without a phone for a week or longer if theirs broke.
A cracked screen, debris stuck in charging or headphone jacks, and spilled drinks are the most common mishaps with UK residents' phones, but this figure should be higher as ten per cent of Brits drop their phone at least once a day.
- Even with a case and screen protector, 66 per cent of UK residents worry about their phone breaking.
- Dropping, spilling a drink, and losing or breaking a key on the keyboard are the most common mishaps affecting Brits' laptops and computers.
While many UK residents are guilty of damaging their tech, millennials are the most likely to have broken their phones multiple times in their lives.
The best part of the survey is were it talks about how devices were damaged. Overall, a cracked screen, debris stuck in the headphone or charging jacks, and spilled drinks are the most common mishaps Brits have encountered.
A night out can be dangerous for devices, from squeezing between people in a club to lowered caution as alcohol affects your judgment.
A woman in Scotland experienced this: "A guy in a bar who was flirting with [her] bit [her] phone which cracked the screen. A woman in England learned as she, "held the phone between [her] teeth to use the torch to put [her] chickens in a coop in the dark and cracked the screen."
Our favourite story was about the bloke who bought a nice shiny iPhone and put it down so he could show it to all his friend later. When he returned he discovered his cat had pissed on it.
We are not always the cause of our broken devices. Many Brits had to replace or repair their phones and computers after kids and pets got their hands (and paws) on them.
Additionally, 47 per cent of people have thrown their phones by accident, making it the fourth most common mishap. In fifth place is spilled food, with 45 per cent of Brits saying their meal has resulted in a broken phone.
One of the biggest dangers to technology is water, and UK residents are no strangers to the damage it can cause. Dropping a phone in the toilet and dropping it in the sink are the sixth and seventh most common mishaps.
On average, women drop their phones more than men, but they are also more likely to have a case and screen protector. Replacing smartphones isn't cheap, so taking extra precautions can make a big difference in keeping your phone safe. The average Brit has spent $476.34 on phone replacements and repairs throughout their lives.
Phones aren't the only tech devices that Brits break from time to time. Laptops and computers also fall prey to clumsy hands. The most common mishaps include dropping them, spilling a drink, and losing or breaking a key on the keyboard.
Eating around devices seems risky, as nearly 3 in 10 Brits say spilled food has ruined their computer. The fifth most common way UK residents break their devices is cracked screens, followed by debris stuck in the headphone or charging jacks (6th) and children breaking them while using the laptop or computer (7th).
While perhaps less likely to break as often as mobile phones, the average Brit has still spent $349.53 replacing laptops and computers after breaking them. In general, England residents have spent the most money on laptop and computer replacements and repairs in the UK.
In our study, we considered all the common ways people break their devices, but sometimes the events are a bit stranger. We asked respondents to share the wildest ways they have accidentally broken their phones and computers.