Smartphone Use On The Toilet Linked To 46% Higher Hemorrhoid Risk, Doctors Warn

Bathroom research shows that a third of people with smartphones spend at least 5 minutes while using the porcelain throne.

BOSTON — That mindless scrolling through Instagram or catching up on news while sitting on the toilet might be doing more than just passing time. It is linked to a significantly higher likelihood of having hemorrhoids, according to new research from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School.

Doctors discovered that people who use smartphones while on the toilet have a 46% higher chance of developing hemorrhoids compared to those who don’t bring their devices into the bathroom. Even more revealing: smartphone users spend dramatically more time on the toilet, with over one-third sitting for more than five minutes per visit, compared to just 7% of non-smartphone users.

The research, published in PLOS One, represents the first multivariate analysis to examine the connection between smartphone use and hemorrhoids, a condition that accounts for nearly 4 million U.S. outpatient and emergency visits annually and costs over $800 million each year in healthcare expenditures for the employer-insured population alone.

How Is Smartphone Use Tied To Hemorrhoids?

Hemorrhoids are swollen blood vessels in the rectum and anus that cause pain, itching, and bleeding. They’re the third most common gastrointestinal problem that sends people to the doctor, more common than visits for colon cancer, diverticular disease, irritable bowel syndrome, or inflammatory bowel disease.

The connection between smartphones and hemorrhoids stems from prolonged sitting. When someone becomes engrossed in their phone, they lose track of time and remain seated on the toilet far longer than necessary. Unlike sitting in a chair that provides pelvic support, sitting on a toilet seat creates increased pressure in the hemorrhoidal cushions without any support underneath.

This extended sitting time appears to be the key culprit. As pressure persists over extended periods, the hemorrhoidal cushions can become engorged and develop into the painful, swollen condition millions of Americans experience each year.

Led by Dr. Trisha Pasricha, an instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and director of the Institute for Gut-Brain Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, researchers surveyed 125 adults who were undergoing routine colonoscopy screenings from January to December 2024. Among all participants, 66% admitted to using smartphones while on the toilet, and 43% had hemorrhoids visible during their examination.

Smartphone users tended to be younger, with an average age of 55.4 years compared to 62.1 years for non-users. They also exercised significantly less than people who didn’t use phones in the bathroom.

Why Time on Toilet Matters More Than Straining

The bathroom habits revealed by the study paint a picture of how smartphones have fundamentally changed toilet behavior. Among smartphone users, 93% reported using their devices on the toilet at least once or twice per week, with 55% saying they used their phones “most of the time” during bathroom visits.

Reading news was the most popular activity at 54%, followed by social media browsing at 44%. Gaming, watching videos, and other activities rounded out the list of common smartphone behaviors during bathroom breaks.

Perhaps most telling was the disconnect between behavior and awareness. While smartphone users objectively spent much more time on the toilet, only 35% of these users acknowledged that their smartphone use resulted in more time spent on the toilet at least one to two times per week or more. This suggests many people remain unaware of how significantly their devices extend their toilet time.

The time difference was substantial. More than 37% of smartphone users spent over five minutes per toilet visit, compared to just 7% of people who didn’t use phones in the bathroom. Some smartphone users reported spending 11-15 minutes or even more than 15 minutes on the toilet per visit.

Study Challenges Traditional Hemorrhoid Causes

For decades, medical professionals have linked hemorrhoids primarily to straining during bowel movements and constipation. However, this study challenges that long-held assumption in ways that could reshape how doctors approach hemorrhoid prevention and treatment.

Researchers found no significant difference in straining behavior between smartphone users and non-users, and straining wasn’t independently predictive of hemorrhoid development in their statistical analysis. Similarly, there were no differences in constipation rates or other bowel function measures between the two groups.

Instead, the data points to time as the key factor. The researchers explained that being on the toilet for a long time is actually worse for your rear-end than sitting at a desk. “Prolonged sitting outside of the toileting environment, i.e., at a desk at work or at home at leisure, this kind of sitting typically involves some support to the pelvic floor through a chair or couch,” the researchers note in their paper. “However, we propose that sitting on a standard toilet seat, without any support to the pelvic floor, disproportionately increases pressure in the hemorrhoidal cushions.”

This distinction matters because toilet seats are designed differently from regular chairs. Without the support structure that distributes weight and pressure, prolonged toilet sitting creates a specific type of pressure that directly affects the blood vessels in the anal area.

The research team noted that people often don’t realize they’re sitting longer because smartphones provide what they called “passive engagement” that makes time pass without awareness. Unlike reading a newspaper, which has a defined endpoint, smartphone content can continue indefinitely through social media feeds, news articles, and video content.

Exercise Differences and Health Patterns

The study revealed other patterns beyond just bathroom behavior. Smartphone users on the toilet exercised significantly less per week than non-smartphone users. This exercise difference echoes wider research showing that excessive smartphone use has been associated with health problems such as depression, anxiety, poor sleep quality, and cardiovascular disease. A 2024 study analyzing over 440,000 individuals in the U.K. Biobank, for example, found associations between weekly mobile phone usage and increased cardiovascular disease risk.

Study authors noted that younger adults were more likely to use smartphones on the toilet, which could indicate changing behaviors across generations. As technology becomes increasingly integrated into daily life, habits like bathroom smartphone use may become more common and potentially contribute to rising rates of conditions previously thought to be primarily related to diet and lifestyle factors.

To that point, there’s also the potential for health consequences that extend beyond just hemorrhoids. The exercise differences associated with bathroom smartphone use may reflect broader technology usage patterns that could affect multiple aspects of health.

Doctors Should Ask Patients About Phone Use In The Bathroom

The research team made several specific recommendations for both healthcare providers and patients. They suggest healthcare providers should ask patients about their technology use patterns when discussing gastrointestinal health concerns, adding smartphone habits to the list of lifestyle factors they routinely assess.

For patients, they recommend limiting smartphone use on the toilet to under five minutes to reduce hemorrhoid risk. They also noted that many people may benefit from greater awareness about their actual bathroom time, since the study revealed most smartphone users underestimated how long they spent on the toilet.

The researchers identified several areas where future studies could expand understanding of the smartphone-hemorrhoid connection. Longitudinal studies that track smartphone usage and hemorrhoid development over time would provide stronger evidence of causation rather than just association.

They also suggested that educational interventions, such as bathroom timers or apps that limit phone use in certain locations, could be tested as potential solutions.

Potential gender differences in bathroom smartphone use are also of interest, with men appearing more likely to spend extended time on the toilet. This difference, however, didn’t reach statistical significance in their analysis.

Additionally, the researchers suggested investigating whether specific types of smartphone content or apps are more likely to lead to prolonged toilet sitting, which could inform more targeted interventions.

At the end of the day, if your rear-end is feeling a bit sore, perhaps you’ve spending a bit too much time playing Wordle while you do your business. Keeping your phone outside the bathroom will not only keep it cleaner, it just may also save you from an awkward trip to the doctor.

Disclaimer: This article summarizes findings from a peer-reviewed medical study. The research shows an association, not causation, between smartphone use on the toilet and hemorrhoid risk. It is not intended as medical advice. For concerns about hemorrhoids or gastrointestinal health, readers should consult a qualified healthcare provider.