Zohran Mamdani Warns ‘This Is Not a Place to Scroll’ as New NYC Public Bathrooms Get 10-Minute Limit

New York City’s newest public bathrooms come with a warning: Don’t linger.

Zohran Mamdani unveiled a $4 million pilot program on Wednesday that installed 17 modular Throne Labs bathrooms across the city’s five boroughs, addressing New York’s longtime shortage of public restrooms, according to a report published by Fox News Digital on Thursday, September 17.

The bathrooms come with a built-in time limit. Users get 10 minutes inside before the door starts to open on its own, per the report.

Throne Labs cofounder and COO Jessica Heinzelman explained how the warning system works during a city news conference.

“At 10 minutes, there are flashing lights. The audio comes on. And this is both in English and Spanish for all of these indicators,” she said, according to the outlet.

“It says, ‘The door — your time is up, the door is opening.’ The door’s opening. That extends for about 30 seconds. So, if you are still pants down, we’re not going to open the door on you. But then the door does open,” Heinzelman said, per the report.

She said that most people finish up well before the buzzer, saying the majority of users across Throne Labs’ markets leave within three and a half minutes.

The New York City mayor, 34, defended the price tag during the news conference, comparing the cost of all 17 units to what a single public restroom has cost the city in the past.

“Seventeen costs about what one public restroom has historically cost in New York City. And that is part of why we have not built that many, because we’ve seen the cost of these restrooms just escalate year after year,” Mamdani said, per the report.

He also had a warning for anyone tempted to linger.

“This is not a place to scroll on your phone. I know that many people do that. This isn’t one of them,” Mamdani said, according to the article.

The outlet reported that the units are free to use, ADA-accessible and open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. People can get in using a text message, a QR code, the Throne app or a physical tap card. And the city currently has roughly one public toilet for every 8,500 residents and called the new units a first step toward more.

As Globe previously reported, Mamdani has faced criticism for a variety of reasons, including a condolence message he shared after Luis Alberto Lopez Castillo, 20, died in city custody on September 16. Lopez Castillo had been awaiting trial on murder and other charges in connection with the death of 26-year-old Ronell Marte, and Mamdani drew backlash from some commenters after writing on X, “I extend my condolences to his family.”