The research found that the introduction of smartphones led to a decrease in in-person interactions, less sex, and an increase in pornography use
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NEED TO KNOW
- New research links declining U.S. birth rates since 2007 to the rise of smartphones like the iPhone
- Researchers suggest smartphones have reduced in-person interactions and increased pornography use, contributing to fewer births among women under 30
- However, researchers note that other factors play a role in the declining birth rate, and that more study is needed
Smartphones could be affecting the rate at which people are having children.
New research conducted by economists at Middlebury College and published in June 2026 by the National Bureau of Economic Research theorized that the United States' "plummeting" birth rate can be attributed in large part to the introduction of the iPhone.
The working paper theorizes that the introduction of the iPhone accounts for somewhere between 33% and 52% of the decline in the U.S. fertility rate among women aged 15-44.
Authors Caitlin K. Myers and Ezekiel Hooper examined iPhone users from 2007 to 2011, when the phone was only sold at AT&T. "Taken together, these cohort effects imply that the diffusion of the iPhone deepened the decline in births among women under 30 while suppressing the rise in births among older women," the working paper reads.
The research follows data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a new study in April 2026, suggesting that the decline in birth rates could be attributed to the creation and rise of smartphones.
Although a distinct date for the creation of smartphones is heavily debated, the iPhone was introduced in January 2007.
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Birth rates began to decline in 2007, and from 2007 to 2025, the rate for women ages 15–44 has declined by 23%. There has been a 1% decline from 2024 and about 53 babies were born for every 1,000 women aged 15–44, according to the CDC's data.
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The latest research argues that the introduction of smartphones led to a decrease in in-person interactions, caused people to have less sex, and spurred an increase in pornography use.
Myers said that the decline can't be blamed entirely on the iPhone, but "it is a really important factor to consider," per CBS News.
"Over this short period of time, it could explain about a third to a half of the decline," she said. "Now that leaves about half to two-thirds unexplained."
It is also believed that the decline in birth rates could be linked to the financial strain of having children, according to data collected by Credit Karma reports. Across both Gen Z and millennials, 61% of people say that finances impact their decision to consider, limit, or delay having children.
Additionally, the fertility rate is also influenced by women's decision to have children later in life. A June 2025 study, titled "Trends in Mean Age of Mothers in the United States, 2016 to 2023," found there has been a 12.6% rise for first-time mothers aged 30 to 34 and a 25% increase for those 35 and older.
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