You might not want to admit to it, but a recent study has found that almost two-thirds of people in the Netherlands use their smartphones when on the loo. 

Majority of people in the Netherlands take their phone to the bathroom

According to an international study conducted by software company NordVPN across eleven countries around the world, people in the Netherlands are rather fond of taking their phones with them when they take a trip to the bathroom. 64 percent of Dutch people said they used their phone on the toilet, most of the time to check their various social media accounts.

It’s not all fun and games though, as 26 percent of survey respondents said they used this precious time to catch up on work! While away from their desk, these people said they check their work email or one of the various professional messaging platforms (i.e. Microsoft Teams or Slack). If they’re not keeping up with their jobs, 38 percent said they used this time to catch up on all the latest news.

Smartphone use around the world

Daniel Markuson, privacy expert at NordVPN, told RTL Nieuws that, on average, Dutch citizens spend over 21 years of their lives on the internet, making them “quite dependent on their smartphones.”

This habit does come with risks, however; 17 percent of Dutchies involved in the study said they’d had the misfortune of dropping their phone in the toilet in the past! This was one of the highest figures recorded in the study, with the Netherlands coming in at second place behind the US. 

For more information about the study, visit the NordVPN website.