The answer to what’s driving the steep decline in fertility in the U.S. that began in 2007 has eluded researchers for some time. Now, a new study suggests that the advent of smartphones is at least partially responsible, as some social scientists have long suspected.
The study, released in June, used mobile coverage maps cross-referenced with fertility data to conclude that the release of the iPhone, the first modern smartphone, is associated with an accelerated decline in fertility that has continued to the present day.
In 2025, 710,000 fewer babies were born in the U.S. than in 2007, the year the first iPhone went on sale. The use of iPhones, specifically, may account for between 33% and 52% of the drop in in births among women aged 15 to 44 in the four years since the product’s initial release, the authors of the study argue.
In terms of the reasons why a society with smartphones might produce fewer babies than a society without them, the researchers theorize that the opportunity for more screen-mediated rather than in-person interaction has likely led to fewer people forming in-person relationships, thus leading to fewer pregnancies. The researchers also note that smartphones provide easier
