Scientists Reveal 10 Places Where You Shouldn’t Keep Your Phone

Written by Tanya Arora  • 

Did you know that on any given day you touch your smartphone 2,617 times per day on an average (1)? And that’s just when you’re a regular user! For a heavy user, this number can increase by a lot. And by a lot, I mean a lot!

Smartphones have become an indispensable part of our lives, and most of us can’t even hit the bathroom without it (2)! But while using your phone is, well, safe (to an extent for sure), stowing them away any and everywhere might not be so – For you or your precious phone.

Which is why, today, we bring to you 10 places where it’s definitely a bad idea to keep your phone. These have been backed by scientists!

1. Your Back Pocket

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This favorite ‘phone keeping place’ of many a man is actually far from ideal. Keeping your phone in your back pocket can give rise to a host of troubles, such as accidental emergency calls and losing or breaking your phone when you get up or sit down (3). Besides, having your phone in your butt pocket can also give rise to stomach and leg pains, so you want to be wary of that (4).

2. Your Front Pocket

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As bad as the back pocket of your jeans are, keeping your phone in the front pocket isn’t any better. Several studies have time and again proven that men who keep their phones in the front pocket are likely to suffer from poor sperm quality and quantity (5). This happens because of the electromagnetic radiation the phone emits.

3. Your Bra

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Granted phones aren’t big enough to fit there anymore, but there are still compact phones out there. So, if you’ve been thinking of safely tucking your cell in your bra while traveling, don’t. Some scientists are of the opinion that the radiation in the cell phone can increase your breast cancer risk (6).

4. Tiny Bags That Hang On Your Hips

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Another major bad place to keep your phone! It’s not the bag that’s as much as the problem as the phone hanging around your hips (or thighs). Research has shown that those who carry their phones near their hips or thighs are likely to suffer from weaker bones in that region (7). So, invest in a thicker bag if that’s how you want to carry it.

5. In Close Contact With Your Skin

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It’s common practice to stick your phone to your face when on call, right? Well, this is a practice that has to end. Keeping your phone against your skin leads to the transference of bacteria from your phone screen to your skin, giving rise to skin problems as well as other health problems (8), (9). So, the next time you’re on call, keep your phone a couple of centimeters away from your face.

6. On Charge Overnight

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Most of us use our phone all day and leave it on charge overnight to juice it back up and ready for the next day’s abuse. However, charging your phone overnight can seriously harm the health of your phone, reducing battery life as well as its efficiency (10).

7. In A Very Cold Place

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Your phone and all its components are built to withstand only a certain range of temperature. Pushing it beyond that temperature limit can spell trouble. So, for example, keeping your phone outside in sub-zero temperatures for a while and then bringing it back into a warmer environment can seriously mess up the internals of your phone (11).

8. Or A Very Hot One

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As mentioned in the point above, your phone cannot bear extreme temperatures beyond its capacity. Very hot conditions are harmful to its health too, as it can lead to some serious battery damage (12). So, keep it away from hot objects and direct rays of the sun as much as you can.

9. In Your Child’s Stroller

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Mothers have this habit of leaving their phones in their child’s stroller but researchers argue that this may work against the baby. Exposing your child to phone usage while you’re pregnant as well as post childbirth has been linked to several behavioral problems in children, along with other problems such as attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity (13), (14).

10. Beneath Your Pillow

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This place is one that is riddled with many problems. First of all, keeping your phone under your pillow can lead to sleep problems as the light the phone emits every time a notification pops up can interfere with your sleep hormone production (15). Besides that, the electromagnetic radiations can also cause dizziness and headaches. Moreover, cases of phone explosions and phones catching fire are far too common, especially when you leave it on charge and under your pillow (16).

So, what, ultimately, is the best place to keep your phone? Well, when you’re traveling your hand or a thick bag are good places, and when you’re sleeping, your bedside table is the right place.

Stay safe!

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