The launch of Apple’s iPhone in 2007 may have played a larger role in declining U.S. birth rates than previously thought, according to new research.
A study published this month by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) found the spread of the iPhone could explain between 33% and 52% of the decline in fertility rates among women ages 15 to 44 between 2007 and 2011. Researchers said the strongest effects were seen among people under 24.
Recommended Videos
The research examined Apple’s exclusive partnership with AT&T from 2007 through early 2011, which allowed economists to compare birth rates in areas with greater access to the iPhone against areas with less access. The study found birth rates fell more sharply in places where residents gained earlier access to smartphones.
Researchers believe smartphones may have changed social behaviors in ways that affected fertility, including reducing face-to-face interactions, decreasing sexual activity and increasing access to online pornography and information about contraception.
The study found access to the iPhone reduced births by an estimated 4.5% to 8% among teens ages 15 to 19 and 3.2% to 6.6% among adults ages 20 to 24.
However, experts caution that smartphones are likely only one piece of a much larger puzzle. Financial pressures, rising childcare costs, delayed marriage, changing attitudes toward parenthood and broader demographic trends have also been linked to declining birth rates in the United States and around the world.
The U.S. fertility rate has fallen steadily for years. According to federal data, births in the United States have declined significantly since peaking in 2007, and the nation remains below the population replacement level of 2.1 children per woman.
Researchers behind the study said their findings do not suggest smartphones are solely responsible for the decline, but argue they should be considered an important factor in understanding changing social behaviors and family formation trends.