Toilet timers installed at popular attraction in China

Toilets at a popular tourist site in China have been fitted with timers above the cubicle showing exactly how long the door has been locked for.

Videos have been shared online of the new tech at China's Yungang Buddhist Grottoes which welcomes millions of visitors every year.

The move has been criticised by lots of people who think the timers have been installed to limit people's use of the loos.

But a staff member told a local newspaper, the Xiaoxiang Morning Herald, that it was to cope with an increase in tourism there.

China's Yungang Buddhist Grottoes feature incredible designs and religious symbolism cut into rock at the site of an ancient Chinese Buddhist temple.

The site is located west of the city of Datong in northern China, at the base of the Wuzhou Shan mountains.

An Unesco World Heritage site, more than three million people visited the Yungang Buddhist Grottoes last year.

More than three million people visited the Yungang Buddhist Grottoes in northern China in 2023

According to staff members, the toilet timers are not setting a time limit on how long you can use the loo for.

Speaking to the Nanchang Evening News, another staff member said the timers have been in place since 1 May 2024 and it was to keep guests safe in case of an emergency.

People are criticising the tech though, saying the money should've been spent on building more toilets instead.

“A tourist site isn’t an office – who would spend their time in the toilets? Is it really necessary?” said someone on the Chinese social media platform Weibo.

“Why don’t they just spend the money on building more washrooms?” said another user.

What do you think? Would you want people to know how long you'd spent in the toilet? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.