A new government study shows that the teen birth rate fell dramatically in 2009, which is great news after the spike of teen births in 2007. Not unexpectedly, the number one thing that helps kids avoid teen pregnancy, according to the study, is parental influence. However, the report, released Tuesday by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, also specifically sites the MTV reality show 16 and Pregnant as one of the things that teens cited as influencing them to avoid unplanned pregnancies.
According to the study, 82% of teens mentioned that the show was a big part of why how they’d learned about the consequences of teen pregnancy and parenthood. And why to avoid it.
“Entertainment media is one of the nation’s favorite punching bags, but we have to acknowledge that when we’re talking about teen pregnancies media can be and often is a force for good, and that is particularly true when it comes to shows like ‘16 and Pregnant,’ ‘” Bill Albert, a spokesman for the National Campaign, told the Christian Science Monitor. “Some critics say these shows glamorize teen pregnancy, but our survey data shows that’s not the case — that not only do they not glamorize it, but teens who have seen it suggest it makes the realities of teen parenthood more real to them.”
Obviously, you don’t want your children learning everything they know about the dangers of teen pregnancy from a show like 16 and Pregnant or it’s follow up Teen Mom but if this study shows anything it’s that kids respond to education and conversation. The more they know, the safer they are. Shows like 16 and Pregnant are not just good ways to scare kids into cautious behavior. They’re great starting points for the more important parental conversations about sexuality.
“What you see on TV, as a parent, isn’t always exactly what you’d want your teen to know or say or see, but it does deflect the conversation from, ‘What are you doing?’ to more of an abstract, and that can be a good way to start conversations,” he says. “The fact is, this is not your parents’ sex talk, not a one-time white knuckle conversation, but this should be an 18-year conversation that you’re having with your kids.”
