16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom Bad For America

There are many aspects of pop culture that have had a bad rap, in my opinion MTV’s 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom are one of those aspects. These two shows get a lot of heat for glorifying teen pregnancy. I would have to agree, however there are some redeemable qualities about these shows.

Teen Birthrates Up in 26 States, an article from USA Today said, “Sarah Brown, CEO of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy…suggests that increases in high-profile unmarried births in Hollywood, movies and even politics are a significant factor for impressionable teens.” Unfortunately, this claim is hard to pin down, because it seems like there is nothing but opinion to back it up. This article was published in 2009, and according to Birth Rates for U.S. Teenagers Reach Historic Lows for all Ages and Ethnic Groups from the CDC published 2012, “The U.S. teen birth rate declined 9 percent from 2009 to 2010, reaching a historic low at 34.3 births per 1,000 women aged 15–19; the rate dropped 44 percent from 1991 through 2010.” Brown made these claims based on scattered incidents in Hollywood the same year that there was a dramatic decrease in teen pregnancy.

Perhaps this Teen Mom phenomenon is doing the exact opposite of what Brown claims. They are getting the word out there about what it is really like to take care of a baby, work, go to school, and be an adult before they are ready to. Maybe that is what is causing the decrease.

I have watched these shows, and there is one story in particular that really touches my heart. Caitlyn and Tyler chose to have their baby adopted by some distant family members. Them being chosen by MTV for Teen Mom was a good idea, because it defiantly shows a path that not many people would think about in that situation. Their story, even though it’s crazy and outlandish when it comes to their families shows. However even though there is this positive message, and information given to people who watch this show there is anger towards MTV, NewsBusters article 16 and Pregnant? No Big Deal said, “Studies showed watching MTV created a more liberal attitude toward pre martial sex. Teenagers who watch MTV receive messages about sex that are likely to sway their own behavior. So the network is guilty of originally helping to foster the situation and now for exacerbating it by normalizing and even glorifying teen pregnancy.” This is untrue. That is not the aim of 16 and Pregnant or Teen Mom, the idea is to get teens and their parents to start talking about the eventuality of sex. And that dialogue and having the right information will what makes the teen pregnancy rates drop.An article called Is MTV Making Pregnancy Cool? from Berkeley Political Review, “Teen pregnancy and abortion will continue to be hot button issues, but, above all, it is important for the next generation to be informed of the consequences of not practicing safe sex.”

There are people all over who will blame these shows for teens getting pregnant. But that just doesn’t seem to be the case. Yes, I would love to blame these shows because they are so sensationalized and trashy, but they are not the great evil.  

-zombiegirl