It’s comfy, it’s private – and hey, you’ve got your phone in hand. Many of us treat the bathroom as a mini-retreat where we catch up on news, social media, or emails while seated on the toilet. It seems harmless. But recent reports and medical experts are raising red flags: this habit can carry dangers beyond mere hemorrhoids.
A new study published in PLOS One by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston found that adults who use smartphones on the toilet have a 46% higher risk of hemorrhoids than those who don’t. Why? Because using a phone tends to stretch out how long you stay on the toilet, increasing pressure in the rectal veins. That alone may explain much of the risk. What drives this risk? Mainly, increased time sitting on the toilet (especially more than 5 minutes per visit), more pressure on anal and rectal veins, reduced physical activity, and distraction leading to poor habits.
As hygiene issues, posture stress, bacterial exposure, chronic straining, and vascular pressure mingle in this small space, what starts as a convenient habit may silently chip away at your lower-body health.
Here, we explore seven specific health conditions or risks linked with phone use on the toilet. We discuss what recent studies show, how each condition develops, and simple changes you can make to avoid becoming vulnerable. Below are several health conditions that are (or may be) linked to this particular bathroom habit, how the phone-on-toilet behavior contributes, and what you can do to reduce the risk.
