Two Days Down The Drain: Americans Spend 49 Hours A Year Using Phones In The Bathroom

Yahoo

17 hours ago

Americans spend an average of 49 hours annually using their phones on the toilet, equivalent to over two full days.
A study by QS Supplies, a bathroom supplies company, has prompted doctors to warn of both hygiene and physical health concerns relating to cellphone usage while in the restroom.
Gen Z spends 54 hours per year on social media, with 66% scrolling, 40% streaming videos, 37% responding to messages, and 2% taking video calls from the bathroom. Over 61% admitted to lingering on the toilet to finish a task, while 42% use it as a deliberate escape from others, and 51% seek alone time.
'The data shows just how far social media, especially apps like TikTok, have pervaded even our most personal moments,' Farook Member, director of QS Supplies, told the New York Post.
Only 25% of people clean their phones after using the bathroom, with Baby Boomers being the least likely to do so.
Doctors warn that phones can harbor over 20 times more bacteria than toilet seats, potentially causing colds, flu, and gastrointestinal illnesses.
Prolonged sitting, dubbed 'toilet scrolling,' also increases the risk of hemorrhoids—swollen veins in the anus and rectum causing pain, itching, and bleeding—due to extended time on the toilet.
Gastroenterologists recommend limiting bathroom phone use to 10-15 minutes and wiping phones daily with disinfectant or alcohol-based solutions to prevent health issues.