iPhone may account for half of US birth rate decline, study suggests
iPhone may account for half of US birth rate decline, study suggests
https://www.foxnews.com/media/americas-baby-bust-may-linked-iphone-study-says-
Publish Date: 2026-06-12 06:00:00
Source Domain: www.foxnews.com
Study links youth smartphone use to health risks
Dr. Marc Siegel reacts to a new study on smartphone risks for children and a CNN host implying that President Trump dozed at a Cabinet meeting. He also previews his new Fox Nation special ‘Miracles Among Us,’ based on his book.
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America’s baby bust may have an unlikely culprit: the iPhone.
A new study suggests Apple’s smartphone may account for as much as half of the decline in U.S. birth rates following its 2007 launch, with researchers arguing the device fundamentally changed how young people socialize, date and form relationships.
The working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research, entitled, “Is the iPhone Birth Control? Causal Evidence from AT&T’s 2007–2011 Carrier Monopoly,” says that the iPhone may be the reason for 33% to 52% of the decrease in the general fertility rate among 15–44-year-old women between 2007 and 2011.
SCREEN TIME BLAMED FOR CROSS-CULTURAL DROP IN BIRTH RATES
A young woman lies on the bed with a smartphone in her hand. (Photo: Elisa Schu/picture alliance via Getty Images)
“Overall, the diffusion of the iPhone explains 33–52% of the decline in the general fertility rate among women aged 15–44,” the paper reads. “National-survey evidence on time use and sexual behavior is consistent with the iPhone reducing in-person interactions, increasing pornography use, and reducing sexual frequency.”
The working paper, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, said that the general fertility rate for the U.S. has fallen by 22% since 2007.
The iPhone’s launch in 2007 created a unique opportunity for researchers to study its impact. From 2007 to 2011, the iPhone was available only through AT&T, so areas with better AT&T coverage got access to the device earlier than areas with little or no coverage.
The working paper found that teen birth rates fell 4.5%–8% because of iPhone diffusion, and birth rates among women 20–24 fell…
