A quarter of men admit to sitting down on the toilet to urinate so they are “hands free” to continue using their mobile phone, a survey claims.
The eternal battle between men and women over the male proclivity for leaving the loo seat up could soon be a thing of the past according to results of the poll by phone company Sony and O2.
Three quarters of people of both sexes polled said they used their phone while on the toilet, and half said they took their handset with them when they had a bath.
David Johnson, O2’s UK general manager devices, said: “We’ve become a nation of multi-taskers when it comes to our smartphones browsing Twitter while we watch telly, staying in touch with the office while pounding the streets between meetings and checking the news over a cup of coffee.
“So it’s no surprise that some of our customers are making use of whatever time they have when their hands are free to check-in and stay up-to-date.
“Manufacturers have clocked what their handsets are likely to be subjected to by users and they’ve been made tougher than ever able to better withstand the rough ride they’re likely to receive.”
The survey found that 59% of people admit to texting while on the toilet and 45% to sending emails. Almost a third (31%) admitted they had taken a call and nearly a quarter (24%) said they had made a call while on the throne.
Two out of five said they had called someone and heard “suspicious noises” in the background.
When asked why they use their phones in the bathroom, most said it was due to not having anything better to do.
Just over a quarter (29%) said they “wanted to prevent boredom setting in”.
More than a tenth (12%) said they felt pressured to stay on top of messages, emails and their digital social lives even when taking care of business.
Sony are now launching a “water-resistant” Xperia Z handset after the survey found 15% of the 2,000 people surveyed admitted they had dropped their mobile phone down the pan.
Photo courtesy of Flickr user bandita.