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iPhone's Secret Role in Declining Birth Rates?
9 Jun
Summary
- US fertility rates dropped 22% since 2007, potentially linked to smartphones.
- iPhone access correlated with birth declines among US teens and young adults.
- Smartphones may reduce in-person contact, increasing pornography use.
New US studies suggest that smartphones, particularly the iPhone, may be a significant contributor to declining birth rates worldwide. Research published by the National Bureau of Economic Research indicates that US fertility rates have fallen by 22 percent since 2007, a trend that began after the first iPhone was released.
Economists compared US counties based on iPhone availability and found that access correlated with birth rate reductions of 4.5-8.0 percent among ages 15-19 and 3.2-6.6 percent among ages 20-24. While not the sole cause, the smartphone's introduction "played a sizable role" by reducing in-person contact and sexual activity while increasing pornography consumption.
Similar global trends were observed in a separate study analyzing World Bank data across 128 countries, pointing to a "common global technology shock." Despite skepticism from some academics due to pre-smartphone birth rate declines, the studies highlight a potential link between widespread smartphone adoption and falling fertility rates, a challenge faced by both developed and developing nations.
