Phone Insurance for Children & Teens: Worth It? (2025)

Phone insurance for children and teenagers is worthwhile mainly for devices costing around €300 or more. Statistically, children cause significantly more damage than adults. Drops, cracked screens and liquid damage are typical risks in everyday school life and sport. Parents take out the contract as the legal guardians — cover applies worldwide.

Why children and teenagers carry a particular risk of damage

Smartphones have long been standard among schoolchildren

The risk of damage among children and teenagers is measurably higher than among adults. According to a representative Bitkom study, 65 percent of 6- to 18-year-olds own their own smartphone [1]. Among 13- to 15-year-olds, it's already 90 percent, and from age 16, nearly all of them. The device is a communication tool, learning aid and status symbol all at once. It goes along every day to school, to the sports field and on the way home.

Typical damage scenarios in everyday school life

Smartphones get dropped while playing, land in puddles, or are handled carelessly. A cracked screen is the most common type of damage — repair costs for premium models quickly reach €300 to €450. On top of that come water damage from rain, sports accidents or water bottles, as well as theft in the schoolyard or changing room. Multiple claims per year are not unusual for active teenagers. The risk is real — and it can be specifically insured against.

Neither school nor household contents insurance steps in

A common misconception: neither the school nor household contents insurance covers the loss or damage of a smartphone [4]. Statutory student accident insurance covers personal injury — not the device. Contents insurance protects items primarily inside the home and only applies outside it within very narrow limits. A dedicated smartphone insurance policy against theft closes this gap.

Comparing the two hepster tariffs: damage vs. full protection

Tariff 1: protection against damage and destruction

Damage and destruction are the core of the basic tariff. Covered are drop, breakage, sand, liquid and weather damage, to the extent that normal use — in particular the display or functionality — is impaired [1]. On top of that come damage from fire, explosion, power surge, short circuit, sabotage, vandalism, and operating errors. Wear on the original battery is also covered — though only after 12 months into the contract term at the earliest, and only up to a maximum device age of 5 years. The tariff pays out for up to 2 claims a year.

Tariff 2: full protection with theft cover

The extended tariff adds theft, burglary theft, robbery and looting to the basic cover. In addition, unlawfully incurred call charges resulting from the device going missing through an insured event are covered up to €100. For families with teenagers who carry the device daily to school, clubs or around town, this tariff is the more relevant choice. Theft in the schoolyard or at a sports club is a real scenario. The full-protection tariff costs correspondingly more — but the extra cost is modest relative to the replacement value of a modern smartphone.

What both tariffs exclude in common

Both variants exclude grossly negligent or intentional conduct. Damage from leaving the device behind, forgetting it, or losing it is also not covered — this is an important distinction from theft, which must be proven. Pre-existing damage from before the contract started is generally excluded. Separately purchased accessories, software and consumables are not covered. Know these exclusions before choosing a tariff.

The sum insured is based on the device's original purchase price. Gross negligence is excluded under both tariffs.

Who takes out the contract? The legal position for minors

Parents as the policyholder — how it works

Parents always take out the contract for phone insurance for children and teenagers. The phone can be insured even if its owner isn't yet an adult — in that case, a legal guardian must take out the insurance and be registered as the policyholder [5]. The child is the insured person. Once the device's owner reaches adulthood, the contract can be transferred to them.

Screen check: mandatory within 14 days

Hepster requires a screen check within 14 days of the contract being concluded. This is done digitally and serves to register the device and rule out existing screen damage. No screen check, no insurance cover. If the check is carried out but not passed, screen damage isn't covered. Parents should take care of this step right after signing up. Once the check is done, cover applies immediately.

Original receipt and IMEI number as a requirement

New, refurbished and used phones can all be insured — provided an original receipt from an authorized dealer is available and the device can be uniquely identified via its IMEI number. This matters for families wanting to insure affordable phones for schoolchildren: used or refurbished devices can also be insured, provided the conditions are met. The device must be fully functional when the contract is concluded.

School, sport and the way to school: what exactly is covered?

Worldwide cover — including at school

School, sports club, the way to school, class trips — none of these places are explicitly excluded. Cover applies worldwide. What matters isn't the location but the type of damage and whether an exclusion applies. A cracked screen because the phone falls out of a school bag is a classic covered drop-and-breakage claim. Water damage from rain on the way to school is covered too.

Gross negligence: the critical point for children

Gross negligence is excluded under both tariffs. This is the trickiest point when it comes to children and teenagers. A child who leaves their phone unattended during PE and later finds it damaged is in a gray area. Parents do well to remind the child to handle the device carefully. Intentional damage by a third party — vandalism — is covered, by contrast. Losing the device or leaving it behind is not covered as theft [2].

Theft at school: only with the right tariff

Theft in the schoolyard or changing room is only covered under the full-protection tariff with theft cover. Requirement: the theft must be proven — usually by reporting it to the police within 24 hours of the claim. Parents should prepare their child to act immediately in an emergency. For teenagers who carry their device daily at school, the full-protection tariff is the safer choice. Protection against water damage and theft is especially relevant for expensive devices.

Costs and value for money: when is the policy worth it?

Price range and influencing factors

The cost of phone insurance depends directly on the device's purchase price. Hepster offers tariffs from around €2.45 a month for cheaper devices. For a mid-range smartphone, the deductible ranges from €35 to €55 per claim, depending on the tariff. The sum insured can never be higher than the device's original purchase price. Anyone wanting to pay monthly needs a premium of at least €10 — below that, only a one- or two-year term is available.

Cheap phones for schoolchildren: do the math

Consumer advice centers (Verbraucherzentrale) note that phone insurance policies are often expensive and in many cases don't pay out [3]. Device insurance adds an extra 10 to 30 percent of the sale price per year. For an entry-level smartphone costing €150, that quickly produces a premium that's out of all reasonable proportion to the device's value. Stiftung Warentest rates phone insurance as dispensable [2]. The rule of thumb: from a purchase price of around €300, a policy starts to make economic sense.

Term and payment options at hepster

Hepster offers fixed terms of 1 or 2 years, as well as a monthly or annual subscription. The annual subscription renews automatically from year to year, with a notice period of 3 business days before the end of the insurance period. The monthly subscription has a minimum term of 12 months. Anyone choosing a fixed term has no ordinary right of termination — the contract ends automatically. For families who only want to insure the child's device for a specific phase, the fixed term is the simpler option.

Filing a claim: what parents and children need to know

Reporting a claim and the cost estimate

In the event of a claim: report it without delay. At hepster, claims are reported digitally via the web portal or by email to customer service. In the case of a repair, a cost estimate from an authorized electronics shop must be submitted. Hepster approves the cost estimate before the repair begins. Parents should prepare the child not to have the device repaired independently — damage from unapproved repairs isn't covered.

Partial loss, total loss and market value

In the event of a partial loss, hepster pays compensation for the repair up to the insured device's current market value. In the event of total loss or the device going missing (full-protection tariff only), the market value is paid out — up to the agreed sum insured at most. Market value means: the older the device, the lower the payout. Relevant for families insuring an older device. Up to 2 claims per year are covered.

Theft: reporting to the police is mandatory

Criminal offenses connected with a claim must be reported to the police within 24 hours. This applies to theft, robbery and burglary theft. No police report: no insurance cover. Parents and child need to act quickly in an emergency. Insurance for children's electronic devices follows the same basic principles: document the damage, report it, follow instructions.

Additional cover: what else families should consider

Cyber risks and online protection for minors

Additional cover goes beyond the device itself. Teenagers are active online — and thereby also exposed to identity theft, phishing and unauthorized access. Online protection for children and teenagers is a sensible complement to pure device insurance. Phone insurance protects the device. Cyber identity protection protects the person behind it.

Tablet and laptop: other devices in everyday school life

Many schoolchildren today bring not just a smartphone but also a tablet or laptop to school. In the rush of everyday school life, the device falls out of a bag or gets stolen. Valuables taken to school should be insured. A separate tablet insurance policy closes this gap. nextsure offers curated tariffs for all relevant device types in the Specialty Insurance category.

Private liability: when the child damages someone else's property

Phone insurance protects the child's own device. But what if the child damages a classmate's smartphone? That's covered by the parents' private liability insurance — provided children are included in it. This is a separate component that families should check in parallel. nextsure operates as a licensed insurance broker (§ 34d(1) GewO, registration number D-4ZF9-E88H6-53), working independently and without a fee for end customers — curated tariffs instead of confusing tariff lists.