From FaceTime to dating apps, this new survey sheds light on what people do while pooping

• A new survey conducted by a bathroom supplies company found that people are making use of their time spent in the bathroom by using their phones — largely for communication and entertainment purposes.
• The survey also points to an emerging etiquette surrounding phone usage in the bathroom, with a majority of respondents reporting that texting and answering emails from the toilet is "acceptable."
• Despite some emerging patterns of etiquette, a small percentage of respondents used their bathroom time to video-chat, send nudes, and peruse dating apps.
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As Taro Gomi's childhood classic states, "everyone poops."

While studies suggest that the universal activity shouldn't actually be too time-consuming, some estimates say that we may spend close to two hours on the toilet each week — which adds up to approximately 92 days over the course of our lives, on average.

In the age of optimization, however, people seem determined to make use of that time. A new study conducted by QS Supplies, a bathroom supplies company based in the UK, sheds light on the emerging etiquette surrounding technology use while pooping.

After surveying over 1,000 people (ages 16 to 74, from the US and UK) the company found that our technology use doesn't necessarily pause when we use the bathroom.

When asked which activities were acceptable to partake in while pooping, 67% of respondents said texting, 53% said replying to emails, and almost 27% said taking a phone call.

Approximately 44% of respondents said they'd actually sent a text while defecating, 24% had replied to an email, and 26% said they'd made a phone call.

Toilet communication, however, may not be limited to emails and the occasional phone call.

7% of respondents admitted to sending a photo of their feces, 5% revealed that they'd video-chatted from the toilet, and 5% said they'd sent a nude during the act.

Social media use proved to be the most popular online activity in the bathroom — but one app reigned supreme.

Communication proved to be a bathroom necessity for many, as 42% of participants who admitted to using their phones while defecating used apps classified as "social media and communication."

Of the respondents who used their devices in the bathroom, almost 45% said they used Facebook, while 35% used Instagram, and only 25% used Twitter. TikTok proved to be the least popular social media app among respondents, with only 4% reporting to use the app (notably, the youngest respondents were 16 years old, meaning that a portion of Gen Z, the "TikTok generation," was not represented in the study).

However, TikTok did prove to be the most time-consuming social media app — respondents who used the platform watched videos for an average of 13 minutes while sitting on the toilet.

While social media and communication apps were the favored choice for entertainment during defecation, people are using their devices for a variety of purposes.

Approximately 40% of respondents who had used apps in the bathroom said that they used their technology for gaming, while approximately 30% used their devices to catch up on news. About 22% online shopped while on the toilet — and 33% of those who online shopped actually made a purchase.

Even dating app use occupied some respondents' bathroom time. 6.8% of those who used their devices in the bathroom turned to dating apps.

Whether they're scrolling through Instagram or shopping online, some people report being dependent on their phones when using the bathroom.

Some people, it seems, truly need their phones — 23% of respondents said they were unable to defecate without their devices in hand.

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