Friend’s phone screen cracked a bit by accident

A 9 year old doesn’t need a phone but if they have one, it definitely should have a screen protector and robust case! I’ve never not had one on any of my devices, why would you not?

Anyway, you are going to have to offer to pay I’m afraid. Depends what model it is, if it’s newer she’ll need to have it fixed at an official store so the warranty isn’t affected. If not, you can get it done cheaper at generic phone stores.

It was as cheap to buy a refurbished phone as to have the screen repaired.

Were you present, OP?

Initially I thought you should pay, but now I see that the children are 9yo, and at this age my DC didn’t have a phone because I felt they were not sensible enough to handle one with care, so if one of their friend’s parents had decided to provide their DC with one, and said DC had decided to trust my DC my it (despite me judging they were not sensible enough)… not sure I should be responsible to pay.
If you were there though, and let your DC take the phone, then I’ll keep my initial answer that you should pay.

You are lucky that your son didn't seriously hurt himself while walking downstairs without paying attention.

And the "wanted a number stored on the phone" makes no sense either. If your DS has a phone himself then you send him the number; if he doesn't have a phone and needs to write it down, how is he doing that whilst walking and holding a phone?

I'd offer to pay because it is polite, but if the shoe was on the other foot, I would probably tell you not to worry about it. It was wet and your son fell over, it isn't like he just lobbed the phone or something!
I hope he's okay after his fall 🩷

She's probably miffed that you've not mentioned it. Firstly ask her if it's insured and if yes what's the excess. Check out the cost at your local repair shop so that you have an idea of how much. If she's your friend she'll know money's tight, maybe she could sub you half until you have the money to pay her back fully. As pp's have said it's a bummer, but you do need to deal with it, I imagine you poor son must feel awful, upset his mate and his dm. 💐

Of course you pay.

It’s such a bummer when these things happen, especially when money feels so tight. It’s really frustrating and tempting to think of all the excuses under the sun and pass blame. You know you need to fix it tho, as I’m sure you would appreciate it if somebody broke your son’s phone.

Maybe they’ll let you pay in instalments? You’re better off contacting the mum rather than letting this stew.

If I was fool enough to give a 9-year old something portable worth hundreds of pounds, I would expect it to get lost, stolen or broken.

The right thing to do is to talk to the parent about it. If you can't afford it then you need to agree a timeframe to pay for it instead. I wouldn't just ignore it as she will be understandably upset.

You should of course pay, and you should have been in touch with her already to say that you will. She should not have to chase you. In her place that would annoy me almost as much as the damaged screen.

Yes you should pay.

I think you’ve got to repair it really, or look up the repair cost and give the other mum the money.
Hopefully it won’t be too much.

I hear they aren't cool, but I've been using leather covers for mine for more than 30 years. They tend to flop shut when you drop them.

I have dropped phones countless times, and never had a cracked screen or case.

I'm surprised this is even a question, Your son broke something and you need to pay for the repair.

Her son was also at fault handing his phone over when they were walking up steps in a wet train station. I might offer a contribution but she's mad not to get a screen protector for a 9 Yr old. They cost so little but are so effective.

Ofc you pay ffs

Your son broke it, you pay. You should have told him not to walk with the phone in his hands.

It’s no wonder the mum isn’t happy. She should not have to contact you to ask for the money to replace the screen, you should have been the one contacting her to offer to pay. Regardless of financial circumstance it is the right thing to do as your son was the one who dropped the phone. It may be that she is also struggling and it’s a cost she can’t afford either

Yes, you should pay for it. Your son damaged the phone, even if it was an accident. . 🤷‍♀️

Stop making excuses and pay for the repair - you shouldn’t even have to ask.

It blows my mind that two 9yo's are wandering around with phones. I'm so out of touch.

Decades ago, my so called "father" asked his friend to do a small fix on my car. Said friend did fix it, but also cracked the windscreen somehow, a huge crack right from top to bottom.

I was fresh out of college and working part time for minimum wage, I couldn't afford the insurance excess to get it fixed. And neither my dad's friend who broke it, nor my dad offered to replace the windscreen (both very well off) and never even apologised. I knew this was terribly rude behaviour on their part but had no way to challenge it (v toxic relationship). So off I drove, illegally I presume, with that level of damage to the windscreen. Feeling about one centimetre tall and utterly unimportant (I had bought the car with my own money).

I'm no contact with all of them now, but I will never forget how shit and uncaring I felt the "proper adults" were in that situation. How I would never treat someone that way.

Please offer to pay for the screen to be fixed! It's unfortunate, but that's the right and proper way to act. The kid will always remember it if you don't.

Why would you replace a full phone? It’s just a screen repair that is needed.

Offer to pay, they might say no but at least the offer is there.