David Leonhardt: More internet, less sex

The modern decline of healthy social interactions. View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Thursday, April 4, 2019 [NYTimes.com/David-Leonhardt »]( [Op-Ed Columnist] Op-Ed Columnist By now, you probably have at least a passing familiarity with the signs of economic stagnation in this country. I cite the numbers frequently: [disappointing]( economic growth; even more disappointing growth in [middle-class incomes]( and wealth that has declined for many families over the past decade. But the signs of stagnation in other areas — beyond economics — may be just as strong. Consider this list: The number of children growing up without two parents has jumped in recent decades. Some major health problems, like diabetes and obesity, have become more common. So have suicides and accidental drug overdoses. Average life expectancy has actually [declined](. And The Washington Post’s [Christopher Ingraham]( recently pointed out another metric: Americans are having less sex. It’s partly a result of a decline in stable relationships among Americans aged 18-29. But it also seems to span nearly every age group, including teenagers and middle-aged married couples. One factor is technology. People are spending more time using social media, playing video games and, yes, watching pornography, instead of interacting with each other in the real world. In a cover story for The Atlantic last year, [Kate Julian]( pointed to a 2017 Journal of Population Economics [study]( which found that the introduction of broadband internet explained 7 to 13 percent of the decline in the births to teenage mothers between 1999 and 2007. “Signs are gathering that the delay in teen sex may have been the first indication of a broader withdrawal from physical intimacy that extends well into adulthood,” she wrote. The drop in the teen birthrate is a reminder that not all the trends are grim. But far too many of them are. In some basic ways, American society is not working. It is not producing consistently rising living standards for the majority of the population, and it is creating a lot of frustrated people and unhealthy social interactions. On [this week’s episode]( of “The Argument” podcast, Ross Douthat, Michelle Goldberg and I debate the decline of sex. We also discuss Joe Biden’s bad week and his strengths as a candidate. Speaking of Biden … “We are now witnessing a feeding frenzy over Joe Biden’s penchant for sometimes-unwelcome public displays of affection,” David Greenberg, a historian at Rutgers, [writes in The Times](. He continues: “Charges about inappropriate touching must be heard and evaluated. But the more difficult question for journalists is whether these charges should become grounds for feeding frenzies — all-consuming, multi-day stories that, by virtue of their blanket coverage, signal to audiences that they outweigh everything else about a candidate.” I agree. Media coverage of Biden this week has become overkill. Put it this way: Major outlets have now devoted more attention to this story just in the last few days than they have devoted to many major policy proposals by the Democratic candidates over this entire year. Related: Last night, I watched “[The Front Runner]( a recent movie about the implosion of Gary Hart’s 1988 presidential candidacy. The movie is entertaining, but it’s also media criticism. ADVERTISEMENT If you enjoy this newsletter, forward it to friends! They can [sign up for themselves here]( — and they don’t need to be a Times subscriber. The newsletter is published every weekday, with help from my colleague Ian Prasad Philbrick. 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[Making Video Games Is Not a Dream Job]( By JASON SCHREIER The workers behind hits like Fortnite and Call of Duty need unions to protect them from exploitation. [Parenting in the Time of Measles]( By BETHANY MANDEL As many as half of the home-schooled kids I encounter are not vaccinated. [Out of Prison, but Still Not Free]( By YASMINE EL RASHIDI The story of one activist is the story of Egypt: What went wrong after the 2011 revolution? [As the Crisis in Venezuela Grows, the Options Narrow]( By THE EDITORIAL BOARD Russian military advisers are on the ground, and American officials are issuing threats. Now what? [When Women Travel the World Alone]( Readers respond to a Travel article about the dangers female solo travelers face. ADVERTISEMENT FEEDBACK and HELP If you have thoughts about this newsletter, email me at [leonhardt@nytimes.com](mailto:leonhardt@nytimes.com?subject=David%20Leonhardt%20Newsletter%20Feedback). 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