Studies Link Smartphones to Declining Fertility Rates
Two recent studies suggest a connection between the widespread adoption of smartphones and a decline in fertility rates. Researchers propose that these devices have contributed to falling birthrates by reducing in-person social interaction, lowering sexual frequency, and impacting other conditions associated with unintended pregnancies. One study focuses on a global collapse in teen fertility since 2007, while another examines the impact of iPhone diffusion on general fertility rates in the United States, suggesting behavioral shifts.
Two recent studies argue that the proliferation of smartphones may have contributed to a decline in global and national fertility rates. The research suggests smartphones have reduced in-person social interaction, decreased sexual frequency, and altered other conditions linked to pregnancies.
One study, titled "The Collapse of Teen Fertility in the Digital Era" and published in May, was authored by two University of Cincinnati professors. It posits that teen fertility saw a global collapse starting around 2007, coinciding with the release of the first iPhone. The study suggests that smartphones changed how teenagers spend time together, leading to a sharp decrease in in-person interactions where most unintended teen conceptions occur. This model also predicted a surge in teen suicides alongside the fertility collapse, impacting countries across various income and policy spectrums.
The second study, published on a recent Monday and titled "Is the iPhone Birth Control? Causal Evidence from AT&T's 2007-2011 Carrier Monopoly," focuses on the United States. This research from the National Bureau of Economic Researchers indicates that nationwide general fertility rates have fallen 22% since 2007, a decline not easily explained by traditional factors like economic conditions or contraceptive use. The study used the initial period of iPhone sales (June 2007 through February 2011) when it was exclusively sold on AT&T, as a "natural experiment." Access to the iPhone was found to have reduced births by 4.5-8.0% among ages 15-19 and 3.2-6.6% among ages 20-24, with smaller declines in older cohorts.
Collectively, the diffusion of the iPhone is estimated to explain 33-52% of the decline in the general fertility rate among women aged 15-44. National survey evidence cited by the researchers suggests that the iPhone contributed to reduced in-person interactions, increased pornography use, and a decrease in sexual frequency.
According to Slashdot, these findings were chronicled in a New York Times piece by political writer Sabrina Tavernise.
