Our latest survey has found that one in six parents regret giving their children a mobile phone or tablet.

The research also revealed that almost a third of parents believe their child spends too much time using their devices.

We conducted a survey which asked British parents if they’ve ever regretted buying gadgets for their children, and how devices have affected their offspring’s life.

Our research revealed that more than half of parents surveyed admitted a device has had a negative effect on their child’s willingness to participate in physical activity. 39% said it had a negative effect on their willingness to socialise.

A third of parents also found their child to be more argumentative, had a lower attention span and received a lesser quality of sleep since the introduction of these gadgets.

Yet despite this, almost 50% said the tech has improved their child's creativity and over a third said it had increased their happiness.

The survey also highlighted that almost a third of parents said they typically ban their child from using the devices at least once a week, with 5% saying they have to remove the items once a day – resulting in tears, tantrums and one parent even comparing the reaction to that of an addict.

Data released by Ofcom in November 2015 revealed that 75% of 5-15 year olds own a tablet, as well as 53% of 3-4 year olds.

In terms of how much time is spent using gadgets, our survey showed that children spend an average of 4 hours on their mobile and 4 and a half hours on their tablets each week.

Parents also estimated that their children spend six and a half hours a week watching television, although only 18% of parents think this is too much, compared to 29% who think their child uses their tablet too much.

Over 10% have found their child using the device to listen to inappropriate music or playing inappropriate games.

6% claimed to have discovered their children using the devices to view pornography.

Gadgets have become a huge part of our lives, and over the last decade we’ve seen our dependency on electronics steadily increase. While technology is a big part of education for children, it is important that they feel safe and supported in their gadget use.

Ensuring that parental controls are activated, and capping the amount of time spent using gadgets every week are just two ways parents can make sure their children are safely using their devices. Teaching our children about internet safety and how we should conduct ourselves online is also a good way to increase your son or daughter’s awareness about secure internet use.

*The information in this blog is designed to provide helpful information on the subjects discussed. Please seek a professional for expert advice as we can not be held responsible for any damages or negative consequences upon following this information.

Whether you regularly hire a car, or you occasionally rent a vehicle for holidays and long journeys, you’ll be aware of the ‘excess’ on your car hire contract.

You’ll also have an excess to pay if you have an accident in your own car. This is likely to be a sum of the voluntary excess you chose when buying the policy, plus an additional compulsory excess figure.

In both cases -- car hire and personal car ownership -- the excess is very likely to be several hundreds of pounds, and could even run into the thousands. Excess insurance is therefore a low-cost way to avoid having to pay the full excess if damage is found to your own car, or to a vehicle you rent.

Why is Excess Insurance Important for Car Hire Customers?

The majority of car hire companies charge some kind of excess on their policies, but if you’re expecting the figure to be similar to a regular car insurance policy, you might be surprised.

Many car hire companies charge much higher excesses than you’d see on a regular insurance quote.

In addition, car hire companies tend to inspect their cars very carefully, and will also bill the full excess figure for even the tiniest scratch. Of course, not all of them do this. But if you return a hire car with damage, you can expect to pay out the full whack in many cases.

Car damage is sometimes inevitable. Often, it just happens during normal, safe driving; you may pick up a ding or a dent from a piece of gravel, or damage something while driving on an uneven, unfamiliar road.

The risk of potentially then paying out hundreds (or thousands) of pounds could be enough to ruin your holiday. Excess insurance ensures that you’re protected from that.

Is Excess Insurance Worth it?

If you hire a car regularly, then excess insurance is something of a no-brainer. You’ll save money by buying one policy per year, which will then protect you each time you hire a car during the term of the policy. Be sure to check with your insurer about any restrictions; some policies only apply to hire within the UK, for example, while others offer global cover.

If you own your own car, or you hire a car infrequently, we still recommend excess insurance for peace of mind. Why? Because, in most cases, your excess insurance cover is significantly cheaper than the excess you’ll be charged if damage is found. You can purchase a policy that just covers one vehicle, which is great for anyone who owns their own car and would struggle to pay the full excess after damage.

This means you can hire a car with confidence, knowing that the final bill will be affordable. And it could also mean that you bring down the cost of your personal car insurance by pushing your agreed voluntary excess that bit higher.

*The information in this blog is designed to provide helpful information on the subjects discussed. Please seek a professional for expert advice as we can not be held responsible for any damages or negative consequences upon following this information.