Smartphones seem to be directly linked to a worldwide crash in the birth rate.
It is "quite plausible that the modern digital media environment has had profound effects on society that have led to a decline in romantic coupling", said Melissa Kearney, professor of economics at the University of Notre Dame. She has to talk that way, being an academic, but what she means is that people are doomscrolling, not copulating.
Andrew R. Chow, TIME
Marilynn Manuel, News 24
Does Having Children Make People Happier in the Long Run?
The Porn Gap: Gender Differences in Pornography Use in Couple Relationships
What Three Identical Strangers Reveals About Nature and Nurture
Baby Bust: Fertility is Declining the Most Among Minority Women
How Prevalent Is Pornography?
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© 2026 Institute for Family Studies
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