Be honest: where are you reading this right now? If it’s on the toilet – and we know you’re out there – then things are about to get uncomfortable. A survey of adults undergoing bowel screening in the US has found that people who used their smartphones on the john had a higher risk of hemorrhoids than those who left them outside. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.

Both hemorrhoids and smartphones are common features of 21st century life, but this study, led by gastroenterologists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, is the first to bring them together in this way.

“Despite anecdotal evidence that length of time spent on the toilet is a risk factor for hemorrhoids, a multivariate analysis of smartphone use has not been

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