Instances of teenagers giving birth has declined in the US, and some experts say that the MTV’s reality show ’16 and Pregnant’ is the reason why.
Instances of teenagers giving birth has declined in the US, and some experts say that the MTV’s reality show ’16 and Pregnant’ is the reason why.
A study published by National Bureau of Economic Research points to the series as being a significant contributing factor in the diminished teen birth rate.
In the show, teenage expectant mothers are filmed as they deal with disappearing boyfriends, financial issues, upset parents, and high school.
Those true accounts of how challenging a lifestyle it is has made the program what one of the researchers called, “sex education for the 21st century.”
While teen pregnancy numbers have been falling for the past 20 years, the most significant drop has occurred since 2008.
It’s acknowledged that the Great Recession certainly played a part in the change, but when researchers specifically looked at the impact the show had on teens, they found it to be significant as well.
By following viewership, tweets, and Internet searches for birth control, and comparing them with the number of pregnant teens in certain areas, they determined that ’16 and Pregnant’ is making a difference.
