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Whether it’s dating apps, doom-scrolling, delayed rites of passage, lofty living expenses or straying from pro-family values, Americans are having fewer babies – and they’re not the only ones falling victim to the trend.
Could phones be to blame?
A recent Vox article proposed the idea in contrast with more politically-charged theories, like the one taking aim at “crazy cat ladies,” commonly floating around.
“In America, for example, over half of 18-to-34-year-olds are neither in a steady relationship nor living with a partner. Furthermore, most single Americans don’t feel much pressure to find a partner. Half say they’re not even looking,” the article reads.
Writers Noel King and Miles Bryan chalk up that widespread singleness to the library of entertainment at our fingertips – at least to some extent.
Video games, TikTok, social media, Netflix and even PornHub are on the shortlist of culprits keeping people in front of their smartphone screens and away from the outside world.
“Why venture out when everything is at your fingertips, from Netflix to Zoom meetings?” they ask, pointing to a 2023 study on the state of American men, finding that 65% reported “no one knows me well.”
The trend appears to be hitting Gen Zers aged 18-23 the hardest, with survey data showing the age group with the lowest percentage of men in stable, committed relationships (37%) and the highest rate of men uninterested in finding a romantic partner (30%).
Other age groups – zillennials (aged 24-30), millennials (aged 31-37) and elder millennials (38-45) – each had over 40% of men in relationships, with 20% or less not interested in finding a relationship.
King and Bryan say the trend isn’t isolated to the United States either.
“It is absolutely global,” they write.
“Last year, I was in Mexico and lots of different Mexican little towns, and mothers would say the biggest problem here is that our teenage sons are spending all their time in their bedroom. And I’ll hear the same stories in little Indian villages, in Bangladeshi villages, all these people being hooked on hyper-engaging media.”
A quick Google search uncovers headlines about “Europe’s fertility crisis” or Japan’s birth rate “plummeting to a new low,” among others.
In contrast, Uzbekistan and Georgia have seen an uptick in fertility rates, King and Bryan reported.
As governments push for higher birth rates – incentivizing couples to have more children and actively encouraging couples to meet – the duo argues that they’re taking the wrong approach altogether.
“Most governments are putting the cart before the horse, by focusing on couples,” they wrote.
“If I’m right, that the problem is technology, this hyper-engaging media, distracting us, and driving this digital solitude, which ultimately prevents people from forming couples, then we need to think: Well, we have various options. Could we regulate technology in some way? Could we introduce further restrictions? Or what can we do in schools to ensure that we’re fostering social skills?”
