For many people, going to the bathroom to do their thing is the one moment throughout the day when they may be alone.

As a result, many will spend 10 minutes or more on their phone going through social media or even reading a magazine while in the bathroom.

While doing such an activity while going to the bathroom is not unusual, you may want to think twice before watching endless TikTok videos the next time you’re on the toilet.

In NordVPN research, 65 percent of the 9,800 respondents claimed that they take their phones with them when they need the restroom.

In all the nations polled, 26- to 41-year-olds use their phones in the bathroom the most, with Gen-Z (18–25) coming in second place.

If you live in Spain, you are more likely to use your phone on the toilet, as over 80% of those polled indicated they use their phone to keep themselves entertained.

These statistics are clearly more concerning than you may believe, as spending too much time on the toilet might result in some unforeseen health consequences.

A gastroenterologist—someone who focuses on the digestive system—told the website Launcher the optimum moment.

“You generally don’t want to spend more than about 10 minutes,” said Dr. Roshini Raj, a gastroenterologist at NYU Langone.

The doctor also stated that sitting on the toilet for extended periods of time might result in hemorrhoids and, in some cases, bulging veins that can be unpleasant in the anal area.

However, the doctor cautioned that this might possibly be due to the toilet’s design.

She said, “So the real anorectal region is dangling a little bit lower than the section that’s supported—your thighs.

“Just by that position, gravity is forcing things to hang a bit, and that is creating pressure on the veins.

“So even if you’re not straining, if you’re just sitting there thinking of something else or doing something else, there is some pressure being applied to those veins.”

“I see a lot of people who get food poisoning or catch different things because they don’t have good hygiene practices in the bathroom,” Dr. Raj added.

“I just think, generally speaking, if you’re on the toilet having a bowel movement or trying to have a movement, you shouldn’t be using your fingers on anything else.”

We’ll surely be thinking carefully the next time we slip into the TikTok bubble on the toilet.