{"id":734978,"date":"2026-06-13T21:55:23","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T21:55:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/734978\/"},"modified":"2026-06-13T21:55:23","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T21:55:23","slug":"iphone-may-be-one-factor-in-falling-birth-rates-researchers-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/734978\/","title":{"rendered":"iPhone may be one factor in falling birth rates, researchers say"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fertility rates have been declining for decades, but the drop has accelerated sharply over the past 20 years, and researchers are still trying to fully explain why.<\/p>\n

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Now, new research suggests a device that has come to define modern life may be playing a role: the iPhone.<\/p>\n

The smartphone, first released in 2007, coincides with a turning point in birth trends in the United States and elsewhere. That timing prompted U.S. economist Caitlin Myers of Middlebury College in Vermont to investigate whether the two could be connected.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCanada reports first annual population decline on record\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a fascinating question. Why are births plummeting?\u201d Myers said in an interview. \u201cIn the United States, births have fallen by almost a quarter since 2007.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Her research looks at whether increased screen time and the shift toward digital interaction may be reducing in-person contact, indirectly leading to fewer pregnancies.<\/p>\n

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To test the idea, Myers analyzed birth rates across U.S. counties in the early years after the iPhone\u2019s release. At the time, the device was only available through AT&T, meaning some regions had access while others did not.<\/p>\n

By comparing those areas and controlling for factors such as income, education and contraceptive policy, she found birth rates dropped more quickly in places where the iPhone was available.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe observed that births fell much faster in the places where you could get an iPhone,\u201d Myers said.<\/p>\n

The theory is simple: more time spent online could mean less time spent together in person. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to get pregnant when you\u2019re not in person with somebody,\u201d she told Global News.<\/p>\n

Fertility rates are now well below replacement levels in many countries. In the United States, the rate sits at roughly 1.6 children per woman. In Canada, it is even lower, at about 1.25.<\/p>\n

And the trend is not limited to wealthy nations. Declining birth rates are being recorded around the world.<\/p>\n

Still, experts caution that smartphones are unlikely to be the sole or even primary cause.<\/p>\n

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The 2000s brought a number of major social and economic shifts that are widely believed to be contributing to the so-called \u201cbaby bust.\u201d These include the global financial crisis, rising housing costs, higher levels of education and broader access to contraception.<\/p>\n

Celia Chandler, a writer who documents her experience being \u201cchildless by choice,\u201d says it may be a stretch to draw a direct line between technology and people deciding not to have children.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do think it might be a bit of a stretch to say that technology is preventing people from having children,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Chandler argues one of the most important changes in recent decades is that more people, particularly women, feel empowered to choose whether or not to become a parent.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel very fortunate that I was born at a time when I had a choice,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Researchers acknowledge that the iPhone itself is unlikely to explain such a complex global trend on its own, but say it may be part of a broader shift in how people connect, form relationships and structure their lives.<\/p>\n

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