We can now add “sitting on the dunny” to the growing list of things smartphones and social media are helping to ruin.

Cethan Ramprasad and colleagues, from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre, reported that out of their survey participants, 66 per cent reported using smartphones on the toilet, and they tended to be younger than non-users.

After statistically accounting for other factors thought to possibly be linked with hemorrhoid risk – such as exercise habits, age, and fibre intake – the researchers found that participants who used a smartphone on the toilet had a 46 per cent higher risk of hemorrhoids than non-users.

Strictly speaking, it’s not the phone itself that’s the issue, but the increased amount of time users spend on the porcelain throne while staring at the screen.

“It’s incredibly easy to lose track of time when we’re scrolling on our smartphones—popular apps are designed entirely for that purpose,” study senior author Trisha 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.

“We need to study this further, but it’s a safe suggestion to leave the smartphone outside the bathroom when you need to have a bowel movement.”

Dr Jarrah Dowrick, research fellow with the Gastrointestinal Research Group at the Auckland Bioengineering Institute at the University of Auckland, was sceptical of the direct phone link but said the result was an “important finding”.

“While the reality of modern screen addiction does make the smartphone narrative more compelling, the real story here is that spending longer on a seated toilet appears to be linked with haemorrhoid presentation,” he said.

“Phone or no, this study suggests limiting each visit to the toilet to five minutes when possible.”

Victoria University digital wellness expert Dr Alex Beattie said the study provided another example of how smartphones had infiltrated every corner of people’s lives.

“It’s quite telling that the study found men were more likely than women to use their phones on the toilet, though this difference wasn’t statistically significant,” Beattie said.

“Still, it reflects a broader truth of this digitally saturated era – that smartphones are often used as a form of escape: from parenting, from domestic routines, and sometimes from other people.”