Hey, put that phone away!

Dr Jim Kantidakis, a Melbourne-based clinical psychologist and founder of The Gut Centre, talks to us about the brain-gut connection and the impact of emotional distress on the bowel. One modern habit he sees affecting his patients more and more: scrolling on the toilet.

“I always gently discourage people from using their phones while sitting on the toilet,” says Dr Kantidakis.

“Phone use often leads to spending longer than necessary on the toilet. This can contribute to a range of bowel and pelvic floor difficulties.”

5 ways scrolling on the toilet is impacting your bowel health

1. Spending too long on the toilet

Distraction means people often sit far longer than needed, which increases pressure on the rectal and pelvic floor tissues. Over time, this can contribute to haemorrhoids, anal fissures, pelvic floor strain, and worsening prolapse symptoms. From a gut health and germs perspective, the toilet is not a place to linger.

2. Distraction can cause incomplete bowel emptying

When attention is focused on a phone rather than body sensations, it is easier to miss the natural signal that emptying is complete. This can result in incomplete emptying, repeated wiping, ongoing urges to go later, and reinforcement of constipation patterns. Effective bowel habits rely on awareness rather than distraction.

3. Poor toilet posture

Slumping forward or rounding the spine while scrolling can increase straining, reduce effective abdominal pressure, and make it harder for the pelvic floor muscles to relax. Optimal bowel emptying is supported by a more neutral posture and relaxed breathing while doing a poo.

4. Unintentional or subconscious muscle tension

Reading or watching stimulating or stressful content while on the toilet can subtly increase tension throughout your body- making it harder for the pelvic floor muscles to fully relax. This affects everyone to some degree, but is particularly significant for people with pelvic floor dysfunction.

5. Toilet anxiety

People who have experienced constipation or painful bowel motions may feel anxious about pooing. Phone use can become an avoidance strategy. This can reduce awareness of body signals and, over time, maintain anxiety around toileting rather than improving confidence and predictability.

To hear more from Dr Kantidakis, listen to this episode of his Apple podcast, Talking Gut: Biofeedback & Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy. He is joined by pelvic floor physiotherapists Isabella Trinca and Angela Khera to discuss how physiotherapy can help with constipation and other pelvic floor dysfunction.