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Why Student Devices Break – And What Schools Can Do About It

Why Student Devices Break – And What Schools Can Do About It

Every term, Australian schools spend tens of thousands of dollars — not just on hardware parts, but on labour, admin time, insurance claims, and lost learning hours. For example, repair costs for school-owned laptops are significant:

  • Replacing a cracked or broken laptop screen typically costs between AUD 100–300, including parts and labour — often charged back to students or parents.

  • Some schools begin charging families AUD 50–150 per incident, with additional costs for hardware faults or repeated repairs .

With dozens of incidents per term, these costs quickly escalate into tens of thousands of dollars in total, even before accounting for admin oversight and lesson disruptions.

And while some of this damage happens in the classroom, most doesn’t.

It happens in transit — between home and school.

So why are student laptops breaking? And what can schools do to stop it?

The real reasons students' devices break

Despite the best intentions, even the most careful students face these everyday risks:

1. Daily Travel

Laptops are tossed into overstuffed backpacks, wedged between lunch boxes, and carried in the rain. Most schoolbags aren’t made for tech protection – and neither are most sleeves.

2. Locker Drops

Vertical lockers, crowded corridors, and fast-moving hands are a bad combination. One common scenario? A student’s laptop bag topples out of a locker and hits the floor. That single drop can cost the school hundreds in repairs.

3. Soft Sleeves and Thin Protection

The market is full of cheap, foam-light sleeves that look the part but fail when it counts. They may prevent scratches, but they don’t prevent impact. That’s where real damage happens – and where real protection matters.

The Solution: Generation Earth Tough – Drop-tested device protection designed for Australian schools

The Tough Series by Generation Earth was designed for one reason: because not all bags are built for school life.

From the moment a student leaves home to the end of the school day, their device is constantly exposed to knocks, drops, and unexpected accidents. That’s where the Tough Series stands apart — it’s not just a sleeve or bag, it’s a layer of real-world protection that students (or more importantly, IT Managers!) can rely on.

Why schools choose Tough for their student device protection

✔️ Drop-tested protection – Multi-layer impact foam, reinforced gussets, and structured padding shield devices from daily knocks and drops.
✔️ Water resistance – Weather-ready fabrics that can handle the journey from home to school and back.
✔️ Smart compartments – Pockets for laptops, chargers, timetables, and everything else a student needs to carry.
✔️ Sustainably made – Every Tough is crafted from recycled plastic bottles, helping schools align with their sustainability goals.
✔️ Sized for every student – From compact sleeves to full-size backpacks (13”–16”), there's a solution for every device and year level.

Explore the Tough Series

The range includes options for every student and device size:

All options are made from recycled materials and designed specifically for student laptop protection in real school environments.

School Branding Available

Want your school logo printed on every sleeve or bag? We offer custom branding for bulk orders (MOQ 500). The lead time is a little bit longer so if this is something you need, contact us today to enquire more.

Learn more about our range designed for the Education sector here >>

 

Is your school looking for better student device protection?

If your school is seeking durable, sustainable, and protective laptop bags for BYOD or school-issued devices, our team is here to help. Whether you’re planning ahead for Term 1 or looking to trial a better solution now, we’ll make it easy.

Get in touch today to request a sample or speak with our education team. Simply fill in the form below and we'll get back to you.