In the past 10 years, people have become more and more attached to their phones.
It's not too surprising we have trouble unplugging — though we are big advocates of knowing when you're overdoing it with the screen time.
Still, when your whole life is on a tiny computer that fits in your pocket, we understand why it can be hard to put down that gadget.
In fact, some folks have even started bringing their phones and tablets into the bathroom too.
It's a little bit gross to contemplate, but not so different from that old standby, bringing the paper with you into the can.
However, doctors have a really good argument that turns something that's just a little distasteful into a full-on health hazard.
Bringing your phone into the bathroom is a germ-filled disaster waiting to happen, and the details are pretty icky.
Scroll through to learn more about the dangers of bringing your phone to the toilet.
Most of us are guilty of sticking our phones in our back pocket and not remembering until we're in the bathroom. It happens to everyone from time to time!
What you really have to watch out for is becoming so glued to your phone that you always bring it into the bathroom.
Doctors Charles Gerba and Kelly Reynold, both respected experts on germs, told BuzzFeed that bringing your phone to the bathroom is a great way to end up sick.
After all, it's no secret that bathrooms are kind of disgusting. Dr. Gerba noted, "Bathrooms are covered in germs [and] pathogens… mostly from fecal matter." That's right, poop.
Even with the very best effort, bathrooms are often home to lingering odors and clogged-up toilets.
If you're using a public bathroom, the odds of finding something gross there are even higher.
In other words, any bathroom you go into is a little bit of a minefield full of gross germs and microbes.
That's why we wash our hands before we leave, and it's also part of the reason that it's not a great idea to bring your phone into the bathroom with you.
Not only is the room itself already crawling with germs, it's incredibly easy for those germs to transfer to your phone.
From there, they can then easily go straight to your face and hands.
According to the Huffington Post, a 2013 study found that smartphone and tablet screens are actually more contaminated with germs that the toilet seat itself.
This is truly bad news, because people are on their phones constantly.
Just think, you put it near your mouth when you make a call, or you touch your phone screen then reach up to rub your eye. It's a recipe for disaster.
The germs that you pick up on your phone are really disgusting, particularly in a bathroom setting.
It's far too easy for your phone to collect dangerous bathroom bugs such as E. coli, C. difficile infection, and the norovirus.
All of these bugs can cause serious (and sometimes lethal) stomach and digestive problems if they infect your system. They are also very contagious and can easily be spread to friends and family members.
It doesn't matter how clean your bathroom is or how often you scrub it down, you still shouldn't bring in your phone.
Flushing the toilet releases a cloud of aerosolized germs called a "toilet plume" into the air, which can settle on anything if you don't shut the lid.
Dr. Kelly Reynolds noted, "When you flush the toilet, water with feces and urine sprays about six feet in every direction."
And if you check your phone while you "go," the act alone can spread germs.
Did you know about the dangers of bringing your phone into the bathroom?
Be sure to SHARE to protect everyone from this hidden danger. Also, remind them to disinfect their phones while they're at it!
