Survey Shows That More Than 50 Percent of Parents Rely on Cell Phones to Stay Connected to Their Children; 30 Percent of Kids' Phones Required Replacing in One Year

NASHVILLE, Tenn., June 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Asurion, the global leader in technology protection services, announced today the results of a national survey highlighting the increasing use of mobile phones by parents to stay connected with their children. More than 50 percent of parents surveyed said they have at least one child at home under 17 that uses a wireless phone for their personal use. However, this critical lifeline to family can easily be disrupted when you consider that nearly one-third of those phones required a replacement in the last year due to a handset loss, theft, damage or malfunction.

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Additionally, savvy parents and guardians are putting their desire to stay in touch with their children well above their own needs, with 36 percent of participants purchasing handset insurance for their children's phones, as compared to 26 percent of those who have protection on their own phones.

Almost half of all incidents affecting a child's phone occurred at school, with physical damage being the most common reason an insurance claim is filed. While most children are beginning the summer break, the need for a fully-functioning mobile phone only increases, a fact of particular significance during June, the National Safety Council's annual Safety Month.

"Parents' ability to stay connected to their children becomes even more important as we head into the summer months and the structure of the school day is gone," said Bettie Colombo, spokesperson for Asurion. "Every day, our services play a vital role in reestablishing connectivity when a cell phone is lost, damaged or stolen. For parents, Asurion is more than insurance for an expensive device, it's peace-of-mind."

Asurion offers these easy tips to help minimize the damage to children's phones this summer:

• A good case or silicone protector can help protect the back and sides against scratches and provide some impact protection.
• A transparent film screen protector can prevent the screen from scratching and can also help remove glare.
• A growing number of waterproof cases are on the market designed to protect phones when submerged in water for a limited amount of time.
• Purchase cell phone insurance to protect your investment and stay connected with children. Many wireless carriers now offer features that can remotely locate, lock or wipe a phone, along with the insurance coverage.

Asurion keeps caregivers and kids connected by providing replacement cell phones - usually overnight - in the event of loss, theft or out-of-warranty damage, including liquid damage. When a claim is made either on the phone or online, Asurion ships a replacement device to any address in North America. With 90 million customers, Asurion is by far the world's leading provider of cell phone insurance. Asurion is the cell phone protection company chosen by every major wireless carrier.

Survey Methodology

Using Opinionology's online Opinion Outpost market research panel, Asurion surveyed a total of 1,000 consumers. Respondents were asked a series of questions to determine their perceptions, opinions, attitudes and experiences using wireless phones. Asurion surveyed an equal mix of males and females between the ages of 16 and 65. The margin of error is +/- 3.5 percent.

About Asurion

Asurion, a privately-held company operating across three continents, is the global leader in providing consumer technology protection services. Asurion offers support to help customers derive optimum benefit from the usage of electronics; security to help ensure content privacy; and peace of mind through rapid replacement of lost, stolen, damaged or malfunctioning devices. As the premier technology protection provider, Asurion's 5,000+ employees specialize in fulfilling the needs of more than 95 million consumers through strategic partnerships with the world's top wireless and cable brands. For more information about Asurion, please visit www.asurion.com.

Aaron Kokoruz
Weber Shandwick, for Asurion
[email protected]
469.375.0319

SOURCE Asurion