India, June 9 -- For decades, experts have linked falling birth rates to rising living standards, better education, urbanisation, improved healthcare, and greater workforce participation among women. Access to family planning and contraception has also been considered a key factor. But now, researchers are exploring a surprising new possibility: could the iPhone have contributed to the decline in birth rates?

According to data from the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), the United States has maintained a relatively stable fertility rate of 65 to 70 births per 1,000 women between 1980 and 2007. However, after 2007, the trend shifted dramatically. By 2024, the fertility rate had fallen to 54 births per 1,000 women, a decline of n...