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Scrolling on the toilet could harm your health
BBC Science Focus
|November 2025
The dirty habit may be more than just unhygienic
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Using your phone while sitting on the toilet could have serious consequences for your health. According to a recent study published in PLOS One, the habit could increase your risk of developing haemorrhoids.
Otherwise known as piles, haemorrhoids are swollen veins in or around the anus that can cause pain and bleeding.
Scientists in the US conducted a survey of 125 adults whose gut health was being investigated with a colonoscopy (a procedure where doctors examine a patient’s bowels using a camera inserted via their bottom).
This story is from the November 2025 edition of BBC Science Focus.
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