Gastroenterologist: The maximum amount of time you should sit on the toilet for

Daily Mail​

14-07-2025

The common yet unhygienic habit of scrolling your phone while sitting on the toilet has been slammed by a gastroenterologist.
A holistic health content creator asked 'What is the one thing you would never do as a gastroenterologist?' in a new Instagram video which has been viewed over 2.2million times.
An unnamed gastroenterologist swiftly responds: 'Never sit on the toilet with your phone.'
'If you have the urge, go. When you're done get out of there,' he added.
The video, created by detox advocate Danica Walker, then asked the medical practitioner a follow-up question about the ideal length of time to be doing your business.
'What is the maximum number of minutes one should be sitting?' Danica asked.
The doctor responded: 'I say five minutes. Get it in, and get out.'
Danica cheekily concluded the viral video by saying directly to the camera: 'Okay people, send it to your husbands!'
The comments section was filled with remarks from stunned video viewers who were deeply wedded to the practice of using their mobile phones while on the toilet.
'At this point in my life, I'm not sure I have the ability to poop without my phone,' read one reply.
'Watching this as I sit on the toilet,' added another.
'[B]ut it's the one place I can find peace,' commented a third person.
There were also numerous comments about Danica's final pointed remark in the video - with many confirming they intended on sharing the clip with a partner who spends lengthy amounts of time in the bathroom.
However, the video also sparked curiosity about what problematic digestive health issue could arise from sitting and scrolling on the toilet - aside from the well-known potential for bacteria contamination of your device.
An explanation can be found in another video previously shared by gastroenterologist, Dr Joseph Salhab.
The expert previously confirmed that prolonged sitting and straining on the toilet - perhaps elongated by using your phone in the bathroom - can lead to an increased risk of developing haemorrhoids, also known as piles.
In a video shared to his @thestomachdoctor TikTok account, the doctor explained: 'Straining and prolonged sitting when you're trying to use the restroom puts you at risk for developing haemorrhoids which can be painful and bleed.'
His video also provided several tips on how to reduce time doing a number two, one of which included limiting your mobile phone use.
'Definitely try to limit your phone use while you're using the bathroom, and you can use a stepping stool,' he added, 'because when you raise your feet it allows easier passage of stool - which is really beneficial.'
Another piece of advice he gave was to make dietary changes to 'increase your fibre...[which] can help stimulate bowel movements'.
He advised consuming fruits like 'kiwi fruit, dragon fruit, apples, pears, prunes' and also suggested the additional option of 'using supplements such as psyllium husk'.
Dr Salhab also reminded people to 'make sure you're drinking plenty of water' as it goes hand-in-hand with digestive health.
Outside of the bathroom, another medical expert with an interest in the digestive system recently detailed the four foods she as a doctor would 'never eat' because they posed a bacterial threat to your gut.
California-based Dr Jessica Kiss shared a recent TikTok video detailing the things that are off the menu for her: namely, reheated fried rice, stagnant picnic fare, anything containing excessive food colouring and foods from a dented can.
She elaborated on each one, kicking off by explaining that fried rice was a 'one-time eat situation' due to the potential for bacteria contamination.
'B. cereus, a type of bacteria, it comes out when boiled rice is left at room temperature for a while and then particularly is reactivated if you reheat it in the microwave not efficiently enough,' she explained.
'That's because it makes spores, so it's just not just as simple as killing the bacteria, you have to kill the spores, too, not worth it,' the doctor continued.
Dr Kiss noted that it might be fine to eat fried rice in a rice cooker that's on the 'warm' setting, but to totally avoid consuming it at room temperature.
In regard to picnic food 'that's been sitting out', Dr Kiss advised skipping it 'because your risk of foodborne illness is just too high'.
Foods that contain obvious food colouring were also best avoided, according to the medical expert.
'This is probably one that's not an absolute for me, but I'd say 99 per cent of the time I'm not gonna eat things that are covered in food dye,' she shared.
'It's just not good for your system, I don't want to be pooping neon for the next week either, so yeah, I avoid that like the plague.'
Her fourth food avoidance was eating anything that came out of a can that has been dented, out of fears of botulism. This occurs due to the presence of botulinum toxin and can appear in foods that have been 'improperly canned' or fermented, per the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
'If a can is dented and I wasn't the one that watched me drop it like right then and there, I'm gonna be concerned about botulism,' Dr Kiss admitted in the video.
'Botulism is not a fun thing, so yeah, I just won't eat it, it is not worth the dollar fifty if I had means to get a can that is not dented,' she said.