r/demography
New studies suggest smartphones may have played a role in falling birth rates
Two recent studies (in pdf) are pointing at an uncomfortable suspect in falling birth rates: smartphones.
The argument is not that phones are “birth control,” but that they may have changed social behavior: less in-person time, less sex, more time online and more digital substitutes for real-world interaction.
One U.S. study looked at the early iPhone rollout through AT&T coverage and found stronger fertility declines in areas with early iPhone access.
It’s probably not the only factor. Housing, money, work stress and the future all matter too. But it raises a weird question: did the smartphone quietly redesign dating, intimacy and family life?
u/Planhub-ca — 13 days ago