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We carry them everywhere, take them to bed, to the bathroom and for many people they’re the first thing they see in the morning—more than 90 percent of the world owns or uses a mobile phone and many of us couldn’t manage without one.
Health concerns about phone use usually focus on the distraction they can cause while driving, the possible effects of radiofrequency exposure, or just how addictive they can be. The microbial infection risk of your phone is much less appreciated—but it’s very real.
A 2019 survey found that most people in the UK use their phones on the toilet. So it’s not surprising to discover studies have found our mobile phones to be dirtier that toilet seats.