It seems teenage pregnancy is becoming more acceptable among American youth.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers interviewed more than 2,600 teenagers ages 15 to 19 from 2006 to 2008. The newly released study found that 18% of sexually experienced boys and 14% of sexually experienced girls claim they’d be a “little” or “very” pleased if they or a partner got pregnant.
Besides this, the percentage of male teens who agree with the statement “It is OK for an unmarried female to have a child” rose from 50% in 2002 to 64% in 2008.
So, why is this? Part of the answer might lie in media exposure.
“Teens don’t live in a vacuum,” Laura Lindberg, a senior research associate at the nonprofit Guttmacher Institute, told Fox News, “What they see adults doing around them are going to reflect in their own behaviors and attitudes.” Considering the fact that adults on TV are having a lot of sex, it stands to reason that teens would want to, as well.
And what teens see other teens doing onscreen has to have an impact too. Just look at popular shows such as Glee, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Private Practice, and Friday Night Lights, all of which feature teen characters getting pregnant out of wedlock. Some critics say reality shows like MTV’s Teen Mom actually romanticize teen pregnancy by making the mothers celebrities.
Also consider the huge success of Lifetime’s movie The Pregnancy Pact, based on the real-life event in which a group of high school girls allegedly decided to get pregnant before graduation. The show was the highest rated movie on ad-sponsored cable TV since 1998 among women 18 to 34.
What do you make of these stats? Is it a sign of the times? A sign of influential television? Both?
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