People who use phone on toilet get major health warning - but not over germs

A new US study has revealed the health risks associated with scrolling on your phone while on the toilet.

The study was presented in San Diego by Dr Trisha Satya Pasricha of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre in Boston and revealed the risk of haemorrhoids.

The study showed that people who scroll in the toilet have a 46% increased risk for haemorrhoids over those who don't use their phone on the loo.

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This was down to the extra time spent sitting on the toilet. More than a third of smartphone users studied spent over six minutes on the toilet while only 7% of non-users spent that long in the bathroom.

Of 125 participants in the study, two-thirds admitted to using their phones on the toilet. A third of smartphone users said they notice spending more time there as a result.

54.3% said they read the news on the toilet while 44.4% said they were on social media on the loo with 30% sending emails or texting.

Dr Pasricha called for further research into the subject.