Kids bedrooms worth £14 billion

Children’s bedrooms now contain over £14 billion worth of goods, according to research by Co-operative Insurance.

The average child now has £1,260 worth of gadgets in their room; with 1 in 10 parents admitting that their child’s room is home to over £2,500 worth of the latest gadgets.

The research highlights the fact that children in the North East have the most expensive bedrooms at £1,540, whereas children in Wales have the least expensive bedrooms at £978.

Despite concerns about the effects of children spending too much time watching television, the research shows that the TV is the most common electrical item to be found in a child’s room. The main reason that parents allow their children to have a TV in their room is to give themselves the opportunity to watch their own programmes undisturbed(21%). Other reasons include children receiving one as a present (19%) and the fact that most other children have TV’s in their room (14%).

Although parents are the main buyers of electronic goods for their children, the research also highlights the fact that the majority of them (60%) really believe that today’s children own too many electrical items and gadgets.

David Neave, CIS Director of General Insurance says, “Many parents simply do not realise just how valuable the contents of their children’s rooms are. It is important for people to regularly review the value of their home contents and if necessary increase the level of cover to ensure that it is adequate.”

When stepping outside the house the trend for possessing electrical items is continued, with over 60% of children now carrying a mobile. Furthermore almost half carry an MP3 player (46%), and newer hand held games consoles (14%) are also popular.

David Neave adds, “Parents should also ensure that they have personal possessions cover for those items which their children take out of the home; such cover can be provided simply, by adding it to the contents cover.”

Least Expensive Regions
6. North West - £1227
7. Midlands - £1217
8. Yorkshire - £1214
9. N. Ireland - £1100
10. South East - £1053
11. Wales - £978

Most Expensive Regions
1.North East - £1540
2. London - £1446
3. Scotland - £1440
4. East - £1312
5. South West - £1254