16 & Pregnant- MTV Show

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16 & Pregnant is a TV show aired on MTV that as the name suggests, focuses on the lives of various teens who are pregnant whilst still in high school; each tells a different story. In these episodes, viewers are able to observe the struggles these teens face as a result of pregnancy during pubescent development. Controversy has been made as a result of the release of this show; this left viewers torn between whether 16 & Pregnant discourages teen pregnancy or shrouds it within curiosity. There is more than sufficient evidence to say that 16 & Pregnant, does in fact discourage teen pregnancy for various reasons. According to the New York Times report, the National Bureau of Economic Research compared Nielsen television ratings to birth records, and concluded that in areas where teens viewed MTV more after the debut of 16 & Pregnant, there was a rapid decline of teen pregnancy rates when compared to other areas that viewed it less frequently although some believe the show glamorizes the subject matter. Some also believe that it encourages the teens to disrespect their parents in every way possible; quite to the contrary, watching 16 & Pregnant is very beneficial to discouraging teen pregnancy and family problems by displaying the hardships these teens face, teaching the importance of completing high school and encouraging viewers to use various contraceptives methods or practice abstinence.
Throughout the various seasons of 16 & Pregnant, the hardships faced are constantly displayed to discourage teen viewers from becoming pregnant. It demonstrates the many difficulties teen mothers deal with before and especially after pregnancy. One of the hardships shown in the series is the increased strain in the relationship. The teens who s...

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...trop, K., Brown, J., & Ortiz, R. (2010). “Science Says #45: Evaluating the Impact of MTV’s 16 and Pregnant on Teens' Attitudes about Teen Pregnancy”. https://thenationalcampaign.org/resource/science-says-45 (accessed March 25 2014)
Lowrey, A. (2014). MTV’s ‘16 and Pregnant,’ Derided by Some, May Resonate as a Cautionary Tale. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/13/business/media/mtvs-16-and-pregnant-derided-by-some-may-resonate-as-a-cautionary-tale.html (accessed April 13 2014)
“Do shows like 16 and Pregnant encourage or discourage teen pregnancy?” (2014). http://www.secureteen.com/peer-pressure/do-shows-like-16-and-pregnant-encourage-or-discourage-teen-pregnancy/ (accessed March 25 2014)
Heather. (2014). “Are they together? A list of all couples from 16 & Pregnant.” http://teenmomtalk.com/are-they-together-a-list-of-all-couples-from-16-pregnant/ (accessed April 16 2014)

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