The next time you hear your mum screaming at you to put down that damn phone, you might want to pay heed if you wish to see your progeny populate this planet. According to the first cross-sectional research of its kind by the folks over at University of Geneva, frequent smartphone usage is linked to reduced sperm count as well concentration.
As part of the study, the team assessed semen characteristics of roughly three thousand Y-chromosome-havers, with a special focus on their phone habits. It was discovered that phone usage only affects sperm count and concentration, but doesn't seem to impact sperm motility and its physical traits.
If you like your sperm science served in stats, here you go:
"The median sperm concentration was significantly higher in the group of men who did not use their phone more than once a week (56.5 million/mL) compared with men who used their phone more than 20 times a day (44.5 million/mL). This difference corresponds to a 21% decrease in sperm concentration for frequent users (>20 times/day) compared to rare users (<1 time>)"
However, the study couldn't conclusively find a link between where you keep your phone and its impact on the man mojito. The team, however, adds that more research is needed to see how radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) emitted by phones affects the testicles and the holy hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal trio.
The complete research paper is available here.