TMI news now, and research shows more of us are twittering and tweeting away when we visit the bathroom.

Nielsen's Social Media Report 2012 reveals that a third (32 per cent) of Americans aged between 18 and 24 use their smartphones, laptops and tablets when they're - and we're afraid there's no delicate way to put this - on the bog.

Will Oremus of Slate.com reckons this is the beginning of the end. "Nielsen did not report the numbers for other demographics. But it's well-understood in the technology industry that the behavior of this bellwether group heralds the shape of things to come for the nation as a whole," he wrote.

"In short, our days of leafing through newspapers and magazines on the commode are numbered."

Thought it was bad enough having to hear your colleague chat away on the phone while using the loo? Now you're going to look through your Facebook newsfeed and have the sinking feeling that any one of those statuses could have been updated from the lavatory.

Mr Oremus added: "This amounts to another devastating blow for print media in general and Reader's Digest in particular, though there may be a lag in circulation effects on the magazine's large-print edition."

But enough about that, let's talk about toilets - in particular, the best ones from which to send a tweet. So-called smart toilets - which combine the traditional toilet function with a bidet - are seeing a surge in popularity because they take up far less room than installing two separate units in a bathroom.

They can be especially useful for elderly people and expectant mothers, as well as those who have difficulty manoeuvring themselves. Other benefits of combined bidet toilets are a reduction in the amount of toilet paper used - which could help cut down those weekly shopping bills - and an improvement in household hygiene levels.