The Smartphone Theory of Birth Rate Decline Doesn't Hold Up
The theory that smartphones are responsible for declining birth rates is flawed. Fertility rates have been decreasing for centuries, long before the advent of smartphones. This suggests that other factors are at play in the decline of birth rates worldwide.
- ▪Fertility rates have been falling for hundreds of years.
- ▪The introduction of smartphones occurred long after this trend began.
- ▪The argument linking smartphones to lower birth rates lacks substantial evidence.
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Fertility The Smartphone Theory of Birth Rate Decline Doesn't Hold Up Fertility rates started falling centuries before the iPhone was introduced. Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 5.18.2026 12:02 PM Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL Add Reason to Google Media Contact & Reprint Requests <img src="https://d2eehagpk5cl65.cloudfront.net/img/c800x450-w800-q80/uploads/2026/05/BABY-Phone-5-18-800x450.jpg" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto" width="1200" height="675" title="Person holding a smart phone on the left, a baby stroller on the right" alt="Person holding a smart phone on the left, a baby stroller on the right | Adani Samat/Envato" /> (Adani Samat/Envato) Just when you think smartphone panic can't get any more dumb, it always does.
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