of course not. When you go through airport security, they give you trays where you put your backpack, laptop, and shoes. Happens every day with no problem.
It doesn't cause any problems. I used the phrase for poetic flourish. Aside from the general rough treatment of being quickly unpacked and packed again in a hurry. In the past there were a lot of urban legends going around about airport x-ray scanners harming hard drives, but in reality, they're harmless.