New kind of multi-tasking: nearly 66% of Canadians use their phone on the toilet

A new study has found the toilet is a popular place for Canadians to use their smartphones.

The study by Nord VPN, a cybersecurity company, found that the need to stay connected extends into washrooms, with 66 per cent of Canadians using them while on the toilet.

"We asked, 'what do people do on the toilet?’ Like, do they take their smartphone with them and, well, quite a lot of people actually are," said Adrianus Warmenhoven, of Nord VPN.

Warmenhoven said it's not hard to understand why.

"It’s very private, you can watch some things on the screen that you might not be able to do otherwise in a busy environment like an office or at home," he said.

"I can still remember the people before smartphones usually reading books."

In Sudbury, some people told CTV News the handheld devices help them stay connected.

"My cellphone’s pretty important to me," said Maureen Hughson, who was walking in Sudbury’s Bell Park on Tuesday.

"I like my cellphone."

"Definitely really important," said Jackie Touzin. "Being a single full-time mom, it is honestly my only way of getting in touch with school and my son’s specialist."

Touzin's son has cognitive autism, so her phone is always close by.

"I’m his only person that can help him," she said. "So for me it’s really important for getting in touch with people or emergency services."

The survey, which saw more than 9,000 people participate in various countries, found more than 65 per cent of Canadians use a phone in the bathroom.

"I do bring it to the washroom, all the time," said Touzin.

"But, I definitely do think I use it the most when I’m in the living room, even though I’m watching TV, I’ll still be on my phone going through emails, reading up news or information."

Although nearly 66 per cent of Canadians admit to using their cellphones while on the toilet, other countries are also in on the trend. Spain actually had the most responses with 80 per cent admitting to taking their phone with them when they do their business.