Are Smartphones Responsible for the Decline in Fertility? (legrandcontinent.eu)

• Global fertility decline has accelerated since 2014, with most countries below replacement.
• Smartphone use is proposed as a new contributing factor, but historical declines predate smartphones.
• Social and economic factors like secularization, education, and housing costs also play major roles.
• Below-replacement fertility is now the norm in most countries.

"A Financial Times article by John Burn-Murdoch highlights a historic drop in fertility rates worldwide, with over two-thirds of 195 countries now below the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman. The decline has accelerated since 2014, surpassing all forecasts. Burn-Murdoch identifies a new and unexpected factor: our relationship with technology, particularly smartphones. However, the article notes that the initial fertility decline began in the 1800s, long before smartphones, and that current trends involve multiple factors such as secularization, education, housing costs, and changing social networks. The piece concludes that below-replacement fertility is now the new norm, barring major societal reorganization."