What a disappointing article. I admit I read the whole thing, but it was hard to finish after reading "Girls are getting pregnant to be on the show. This is a fact." ...Is it, though? As a writer, when you clearly state something is a fact (ie: many girls purposely getting pregnant to be on the show as a "fact") you need to cite your sources to back up this claim. It's truly Journalism 101. For decades the teen birth rate was climbing- the US had some of the worse statistics in developed countries. But then after the show aired a funny thing happened- out of nowhere, teen birth rate began DECREASING...drastically. Researchers have actually coined this "The Teen Mom Effect" because it correlates so strongly with the show beginning. I'm not sure if we're allowed to post links of here, so I'll err on the side of caution. But I highly suggest reading the latest research on the subject. One such study (very detailed and polled teens in all 50 states) said that one of the main contributing reasons they began using birth control when the previously had not was due to something they saw on either "16 or Pregnant" or "Teen Mom". EIGHTY TWO percent said the show had an impact on them. Do you understand how huge that it? This SHOW does *not* glamorize being pregnant in the least. I have a hard time believing you've watched it much if you claim this. Physical abuse, a crying, sick infant, crumbling relationships, court cases, and loss of normalcy--what's glamorous about that?. Some of the situations these girls go through are heartbreaking to say the least. Of course, being on a TV show of any kind comes with media attention. While the girls are recognizable to certain demographics, they are not A-list stars by any means. And to say that "lots of young girls" are purposely getting pregnant is preposterous (again, please site your source). To begin with, 16& Pregnant is not even on the air, and hasn't been in several years now. They're not casting for it. Like anything, there will be copy cats. But for every 1 girl (who would most likely be mentally unstable to begin with if they got pregnant to try to get on a TV show that's not even in production) taught 200 girls safe sex methods and prevented unwanted pregnancies, that's not a fail- that's success. I once heard someone rebut this argument by saying "It's the equivalent of a thin person trying to become obese to get on a weightloss show". The thing is this show DOES reach the low economic young women- those most at risk. And throughout each show information on safe sex and resources to find out more is heavily worked into the store line / ads. I never understood the "it's so bad!" argument, when many researchers themselves praise the show and it's effects, which they dub "The Teen Mom Effect"
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What a disappointing article. I admit I read the whole thing, but it was hard to finish after reading "Girls are getting pregnant to be on the show. This is a fact." ...Is it, though? As a writer, when you clearly state something is a fact (ie: many girls purposely getting pregnant to be on the show as a "fact") you need to cite your sources to back up this claim. It's truly Journalism 101. For decades the teen birth rate was climbing- the US had some of the worse statistics in developed countries. But then after the show aired a funny thing happened- out of nowhere, teen birth rate began DECREASING...drastically. Researchers have actually coined this "The Teen Mom Effect" because it correlates so strongly with the show beginning. I'm not sure if we're allowed to post links of here, so I'll err on the side of caution. But I highly suggest reading the latest research on the subject. One such study (very detailed and polled teens in all 50 states) said that one of the main contributing reasons they began using birth control when the previously had not was due to something they saw on either "16 or Pregnant" or "Teen Mom". EIGHTY TWO percent said the show had an impact on them. Do you understand how huge that it? This SHOW does *not* glamorize being pregnant in the least. I have a hard time believing you've watched it much if you claim this. Physical abuse, a crying, sick infant, crumbling relationships, court cases, and loss of normalcy--what's glamorous about that?. Some of the situations these girls go through are heartbreaking to say the least. Of course, being on a TV show of any kind comes with media attention. While the girls are recognizable to certain demographics, they are not A-list stars by any means. And to say that "lots of young girls" are purposely getting pregnant is preposterous (again, please site your source). To begin with, 16& Pregnant is not even on the air, and hasn't been in several years now. They're not casting for it. Like anything, there will be copy cats. But for every 1 girl (who would most likely be mentally unstable to begin with if they got pregnant to try to get on a TV show that's not even in production) taught 200 girls safe sex methods and prevented unwanted pregnancies, that's not a fail- that's success. I once heard someone rebut this argument by saying "It's the equivalent of a thin person trying to become obese to get on a weightloss show". The thing is this show DOES reach the low economic young women- those most at risk. And throughout each show information on safe sex and resources to find out more is heavily worked into the store line / ads. I never understood the "it's so bad!" argument, when many researchers themselves praise the show and it's effects, which they dub "The Teen Mom Effect"
August 17, 2015 - 12:39pmThis Comment
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