Overview

• Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess/Harvard reported in PLOS One on 125 adults undergoing colonoscopy, with 66% saying they use a phone on the toilet and 43% found to have enlarged hemorrhoids.
• Phone users showed a 46% higher risk of enlarged hemorrhoids, and many sat longer per visit, with 37% spending more than five minutes versus 7% of non-users, which the lead author attributes to distraction.
• Clinicians advise leaving phones outside the bathroom and limiting toilet time to a few minutes, with a timer as a practical cue if needed.
• A YouGov survey for dpa indicates the habit is common in Germany, with 54% of adults using phones on the toilet and more than 80% of 25–34-year-olds doing so.
• Gastroenterologist Ulrich Tappe criticizes the methodology and diagnostic limits of colonoscopy for this question, and hygiene experts note only 39% clean their phones after bathroom use.