A Drop in US Births Due to Smartphone Use? These Researchers Say So
Researchers say smartphones may have driven up to half of the U.S. fertility decline, with the sharpest effects among people ages 15 to 24.
- A new study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research suggests the iPhone's 2007 debut contributed to declining US birth rates, with economists Caitlin Myers and Ezekiel Hooper finding that counties with higher AT&T coverage saw sharper fertility drops between 2007 and 2011.
- Researchers argue the technology did not cause biological reproductive damage but fundamentally altered social behavior, as smartphones acted as a substitute for in-person interaction that traditionally leads to partnerships and children.
- Analyzing 128 countries, the study identified a consistent pattern where teen fertility rates declined following smartphone adoption, with researchers concluding the iPhone accounted for up to half of the US fertility decline from 2007 to 2011 among people ages 15 to 24.
- Some experts caution against attributing complex demographic shifts to a single object, noting teen birth rates were already falling in the 1990s before smartphone adoption began.
- Future research aims to determine whether modern digital socializing continues to influence birth rates as economists study how digital-first lifestyles affect long-term relationship formation and family structures.
47 Articles
47 Articles
Birth rates are falling worldwide, a study now suggests a connection to the availability of fast internet and smartphones. Is the mobile phone suitable as a contraceptive?
A study has found that the proliferation of smartphones is one of the causes driving the sharp decline in the birth rate in the United States. On the 12th (local time), CNN reported, citing a recent report by researchers from Middlebury College and the National Economic Research Institute (NBER), that in 2007
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim A-ram = Research results by economists suggesting that the proliferation of smartphones is one of the causes leading to the sharp decline in the birth rate in the United States are attracting attention...
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New Study Suggests Smartphones May Be Playing a Role in Falling Birth Rates
For years, experts have been trying to figure out why fewer babies are being born. A new study suggests our smartphones could be part of the answer. According to data from the CDC, birth rates have been steadily declining since 2007. In 2025, there were roughly 53 births for every 1,000 women aged 15 to 44, marking a record low. Researchers now say the rise of smartphones may be linked to as much as half of that decline. The theory isn't that ph…
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