The world's birth rate is rapidly declining, and scientists are increasingly attributing this shift to the rise of smartphones and digital platforms. This is stated in an analytical article by the Financial Times (FT), published on May 16.
It is technology, which has radically changed the way of life of young people, that has become one of the main catalysts for the global demographic decline. Previously, housing was considered one of the main factors influencing the demographic situation.
The FT noted that the fall in fertility in many countries since the 1990s is explained by almost half of the fact that young people are less likely to own their own home and more likely to live with their parents. When there is no stable long-term housing, it becomes an obstacle to other serious decisions, such as starting a family or having children. However, this explanation is not enough to understand the latest sharp decline and its global scale. That is, the housing problem influences, but is not the main cause of the current demographic collapse, the article says.
The authors noted that the decline in fertility occurs almost everywhere. In many countries the average is already close to one child, and in some cases the most common result is no children at all. Some researchers of this issue also consider the economic instability of young people and changing women's views on life and motherhood as a reason.
Scientists from the University of Cincinnati (USA) conducted a study on the impact of the launch of 4G networks in the US and UK. They found that the number of births fell fastest in places where high-speed mobile Internet appeared earlier. Researchers explain this by saying that smartphones have changed the way young people spend their time. There have been significantly fewer face-to-face meetings, which has led to a sharp decline in the birth rate. In South Korea, for example, the rate of face-to-face meetings among young adults has halved over two decades. FT analysis confirms that this trend can be seen in many other countries.
Social networks not only take up time, but also create new standards for relationships. Instagram and TikTok allow women to bypass traditional influencers, raising expectations from partners that men are often unprepared for. This creates a “cultural divide” and exacerbates the problem of loneliness, scientists say.
The influence of smartphones has turned out to be even stronger than the influence of television. At one time, television gradually changed ideas about the family, while the smartphone that lies in your pocket operates on a much larger scale and faster. Given the likely impact of technology and social media, the most viable way to reverse the current trend is to encourage people to reconsider their digital habits. This can happen both through cultural change and government regulation. To stop the decline in the birth rate, it is necessary not to abolish smartphones, but to teach society to use them differently, the publication states.
