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This slanted toilet might be the meanest attempt to decrease smartphone usage so far

A toilet's 13-degree slope makes it painful to sit for more than five minutes, according to a report.

Shelby Brown Editor II
Shelby Brown (she/her/hers) is an editor for CNET's services team. She covers tips and tricks for apps, operating systems and devices, as well as mobile gaming and Apple Arcade news. Shelby also oversees Tech Tips coverage. Before joining CNET, she covered app news for Download.com and served as a freelancer for Louisville.com.
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  • She received the Renau Writing Scholarship in 2016 from the University of Louisville's communication department.
Shelby Brown
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If it ain't broke, don't fix it. 

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Some lines shouldn't be crossed. In the latest attempt to decrease smartphone usage, toilets are under attack. StandardToilet, a British startup, has designed a less-comfortable toilet to make employees want to spend less time in the bathroom on their phones. The toilet has a 13-degree slope that reportedly makes it painful to sit on for more than five minutes. 

"Anything higher than that would cause wider problems. Thirteen degrees is not too inconvenient, but you'd soon want to get off the seat quite quickly," StandardToilet founder Mahabir Gill told Wired. Essentially, your legs will start to feel like you're in a low-level squat. 

Gill told Wired that the StandardToilet has health benefits, like improving posture. But the primary design is to reduce wasted time and save the employer money. 

StandardToilet gained approval from the British Toilet Association (bet you didn't know that was a thing) in November and costs between £150 and £500 (around $196 and $654). The company offers floor- and wall-mounted models for a variety of markets like offices, malls, restaurants and more. 

StandardToilet didn't immediately respond to request for comment.

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