College students around the nation are expected to take an estimated $49 billion worth of electronics to campuses this year, and unfortunately, these devices posses a high risk of being broken or cracked.

A new study by SquareTrade, an extended warranty service provider for consumer electronics and appliances including mobile devices, laptops and tablets, surveyed 541 U.S. college students using Google Consumer Survey last month and found that half of American students damage their smartphone during college.

Some popular locations where students are likely to damage their devices include the library, classroom, dorm and the gym. One-fifth of breaks were reported to happen at bars, clubs or parties.

Regarding who is more likely to damage their phones, suburban students were discovered to damage the devices 50 percent more often compared to rural or urban students. The study also revealed that female students age 18 and over are 21 percent more likely to damage their smartphones than male students, while males under 18 years old are 35 percent more likely to cause a tech mishap than females of the same age.

To help students avoid damaging their gadgets during the school year, SquareTrade suggests that students always keep their devices in protective cases and covers; keep mobile phones in their pocket or purse at parties, bars or clubs; carry devices in backpacks or laptop bags while walking on campus instead of having them out and using them; placing mobile devices in a locker or gym bag when working out; and purchasing protection plans on electronics.

On the subject of insurance, the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America advises college students that will be living off-campus in apartments to consider buying renter's insurance to protect their personal items, including laptop computers, mobile devices and tablets. Many renters assume that their landlord's insurance will cover the replacement of their personal belonging, such as in the event that the items are stolen or damaged by fire, however that is not usually the case as the landlord's policy generally covers structural damage to the home or apartment, and not the personal belongings within the building.