• Posted September 5, 2025

Scrolling On The Toilet Increases Risk Of Hemorrhoids, Study Says

Do you use your time on the john to catch up on the news, go through your e-mail or check out social media?

Be careful – you might be more likely to develop hemorrhoids, new research shows.

Folks who use a smartphone on the toilet have a 46% higher risk of hemorrhoids than those who don’t, researchers reported Sept. 3 in the journal PLOS One.

Smartphone use might inadvertently prolong toilet time, potentially increasing pressure on the anus and contributing to hemorrhoids, researchers explained.

“We're still uncovering the many ways smartphones and our modern way of life impact our health," senior researcher Dr. Trisha Pasricha, a gastroenterologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, said in a news release. “It's possible that how and where we use them — such as while in the bathroom — can have unintended consequences.”

Hemorrhoids are swollen veins in the anal or rectal area that often cause pain or bleeding. They’re thought to occur due to increased pressure that occurs during pregnancy, with excess weight, or through straining during bowel movements, Harvard Medical School says.

For the new study, researchers surveyed 125 adults undergoing colonoscopy at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. About 43% of the participants had hemorrhoids.

Two-thirds of the participants (66%) told researchers they use smartphones while on the toilet. Reading news and using social media were the most commonly reported smartphone activities in the bathroom.

Using a smartphone while on the toilet was linked to a 46% increased risk of hemorrhoids, even after researchers accounted for other factors like exercise habits, age and fiber intake.

Those who use smartphones tended to spend more time on the can, researchers found. About 37% of smartphone users spent more than five minutes at a time on the toilet, compared to just 7% of non-users.

“It's incredibly easy to lose track of time when we're scrolling on our smartphones — popular apps are designed entirely for that purpose,” Pasricha said. “But it's possible that constantly sitting longer on the toilet than you intended because you're distracted by your smartphone could increase your risk of hemorrhoids,” she said.

The study bolsters common-sense advice, Pasricha said.

“Leave the smartphones outside the bathroom and to try to spend no more than a few minutes to have a bowel movement,” she said. “If it's taking longer, ask yourself why. Was it because having a bowel movement was really so difficult, or was it because my focus was elsewhere?”

More information

Harvard Medical School has more on hemorrhoids.

SOURCE: PLOS, news release, Sept. 3, 2025