Bryan Johnson, the tech entrepreneur who has made headlines for spending millions on his quest to reverse aging, has a new public health warning that might hit closer to home than his usual biohacking advice: put down your phone when nature calls.
The 47-year-old longevity enthusiast recently shared a concerning connection between bathroom smartphone habits and a significant uptick in hemorrhoid risk in a social media post.
According to research he highlighted, people who use their phones while on the toilet face a 46% higher prevalence of hemorrhoids and a 26% increased risk of developing the condition in the first place.
The culprit? Time distortion. When absorbed in social media feeds or emails, people lose track of how long they’ve been sitting, creating prolonged pressure on anal tissues.
+ 46% higher hemorrhoid prevalence
+ 26% higher risk of developing hemorrhoids
+ pathogenic, antibiotic resistent strainsFrom what? Smartphone while on the toilet.
It makes you lose track of time. The prolonged sitting increases the pressure on the anal cushions.… pic.twitter.com/1KRl8hJ8pz
— Bryan Johnson (@bryan_johnson) January 17, 2026
A 2025 study by Chethan Ramprasad and colleagues found that smartphone users spent considerably more time on the toilet, with 37% spending over five minutes per visit compared to just 7% of non-users.
But the problems don’t stop at increased sitting time. Johnson points to another unsettling issue: the toilet flush itself creates what scientists call an “aerosol plume” that can spread contaminated droplets between three to five feet in all directions.
Research from 2022 by John P. Crimaldi demonstrated that toilet flushes produce chaotic jets with velocities exceeding 2 meters per second, launching aerosol particles to heights of 1.5 meters within just 8 seconds of flushing. Even closing the lid doesn’t completely solve the problem. A 2021 study by Jesse H Schreck found that covering the toilet reduced aerosol levels but didn’t eliminate them, as droplets escaped through gaps between the cover and seat.
Your phone becomes a collection point for these airborne contaminants. Research examining mobile phones found they harbor a startling variety of microorganisms: 173 bacteria species, 8 fungi, 8 protists, and 317 virulence factor genes. The study identified pathogenic bacteria including S. aureus, A. baumannii, P. aeruginosa, and various Enterobacteriaceae species, many carrying antibiotic-resistant genes.
Johnson’s proposed solutions are straightforward: leave your phone outside the bathroom entirely, adopt what researchers call “The Thinker” position by leaning forward with elbows on knees, or use a footstool to elevate your feet. Both posture adjustments help straighten the rectoanal canal, making the process more efficient and reducing time spent sitting.
The science backs up these positional recommendations. A 2016 study by S Takano and DR Sands found that the forward-leaning Thinker position facilitates the process by opening the anorectal angle to more than 130 degrees.
Earlier research showed that squatting creates a rectoanal angle of 126 degrees compared to just 100 degrees in normal upright sitting.
The social media reaction to Johnson’s bathroom briefing ranged from humorous self-awareness to genuine concern. One user noted the irony: “imagine optimizing your longevity stack for decades just to get taken out by doomscrolling on the toilet.”
Another acknowledged reading Johnson’s warning while simultaneously committing the offense, though claimed to be using proper form with a footstool and forward lean.
For Johnson, who has built a following around his Blueprint protocol of extreme longevity optimization, the bathroom phone habit represents another hidden health risk in modern life. His message is clear: those extra minutes scrolling through feeds might cost you more than just time.
