You can blame America’s plummeting fertility rate on the iPhone, study finds: ‘People are all depressed and alone and doomscrolling’

A study published by the National Bureau of Economist Research links the rise of the iPhone to a decline in U.S. fertility rates, showing reduced birth rates in areas with early iPhone access. Researchers found a 4.5% to 8% drop in births for ages 15-19 and a 3.2% to 6.6% drop for ages 20-24 in regions where AT&T sold iPhones before 2011. The study attributes the decline to smartphone-induced social isolation and depression, rather than economic factors alone.