Over one in five Australians (21 per cent) will damage our own phones within the first six months of owning it. Out of the accident-prone among us, 40 per cent are dropping them in water or spilling our drinks on them, and 35 per cent are watching in horror as they slip through our hands and onto the floor.
We’re not very good at this.
Other people (and animals) responsible for damaging phones include pets (6 per cent), partners (11 per cent) and kids (11 per cent). However, it’s those darn millennials (forever responsible for all of the evil in this world we have inherited, right?), aged 18-35 years old, that are by far the least trustworthy according to the research by tech21 — with over 50 per cent having damaged their own mobile phone and 37 per cent having done so in the first six months.
The most common instances of millennials breaking their phone include being under the influence of alcohol, dropping it in the toilet and when on holiday. Over one third (37 per cent) of millennials also confessed to pranking a friend by using their mobile phone to update their social status.
Even at home there’s distrust when it comes to mobiles, with Australians claiming to trust their partners with their kids more than with their mobile phones. Two in five people claim their partner to be clumsier than they are and 32 per cent have checked their partner’s phone without their knowledge. Families especially have a hard time protecting phones against kids, with only 5 per cent saying they’d trust their child with their phone and almost a quarter (23 per cent) having purchased a fake phone to stop them breaking their own.
That’s…a whole lot of distrust and damage happening. How about you? Do you have a good track record or are you one of the 21 per cent.