MOSCOW, May 19. /TASS/. Saying that smartphones alone are the cause of declining global birth rates is an "oversimplification," as that claim ignores important factors like urbanization, economic instability, and changing roles for women, Natalia Galkina, CEO of Neurotrend, a participant in the national technological initiative NeuroNet, told TASS.
Earlier, journalists from the Financial Times analyzed statistics on the widespread use of mobile phones in various countries and suggested that this trend is contributing to a decline in birth rates worldwide. They noted that falling birth rates in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and other countries coincide with rising smartphone sales in those regions.
"In my view, claiming that smartphones are directly reducing birth rates across all regions is a gross oversimplification. <…> Yes, birth rates often decline in places where smartphone usage is growing, but this is not the cause. These are just two global trends that have coincided. The real decline in birth rates stems from a complex set of factors: rising education levels, urbanization, economic instability, changing roles for women, and access to contraception. Amid all this, smartphones are more of a visible symbol of the modern era," Galkina said.
