Global Birth Rates Slump After 2008 as Smartphone Use Is Linked to 13% Smaller U.S. Class
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · May 24
Global Birth Rates Slump After 2008 as Smartphone Use Is Linked to 13% Smaller U.S. Class
2 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · May 24
Between 2008 and 2015, global fertility declines accelerated, with the U.S. now projected to have a high school class in 2041 that is 13% smaller than in 2025.
John Burn-Murdoch’s analysis links that shift to smartphones, arguing they spread new social norms and, more importantly, displace in-person socializing that helps young people form relationships.
The pattern extends beyond rich countries: Latin American birth rates are falling faster than in the U.S., and Mexico’s fertility rate dropped below America’s in 2023, weakening immigration as an easy demographic fix.
The opinion piece says policy remedies remain elusive because family subsidies are costly and phone restrictions are impractical, leaving cultural pressure to limit smartphone use as the main proposed response.
Are smartphones the real cause of falling birth rates, or a scapegoat for deep economic anxieties?
How must our societies be redesigned to thrive in a future with far fewer children and workers?
Is a shrinking population a demographic crisis, or a necessary correction for a sustainable planet?