GRSJ224/Reality TV's Effect on Teenage Pregnancy

In recent years, reality television has sky rocketed in pop-culture and the media. For many, the fame and fortune that comes with partaking in reality television can seem very appealing. One extremely popular genre of reality television is teenage pregnancy, with shows like Teen Mom and 16 and Pregnant depicting girls and the trials of motherhood that comes during adolescence, with millions of viewers tuning in each week. In the United States, 29.4 out of 1,000 girls between the ages of 15 and 19 has given birth. With the rise of social media, teenagers are more exposed to content then ever, and many reality TV stars use this to their advantage. Teenagers are able to relate to the normal struggles that come with adolescent, and learn how adding an unexpected pregnancy into the situation fits in.

Teenage Pregnancy in Western Society

Teenage pregnancy is first world countries has always been a fascinating and controversial topic, as girls under the age of nineteen giving birth is Western societies is seen as abnormal. Responses to adolescent pregnancy is very complex; they can differ depending on racial ,social, religious, or economic class. And while sex education is taught in the public school system throughout Western societies, it is not a substitute for providing proper and accesible contraceptives to youth.

Statistics of Teenage Pregnancy

In 2009, roughly 410,000 teens had given birth between the ages of 15- 19 in the United States. Taking results from 1,000 females, the birth rate was approximately 39.1 births. Race is also an important factor to consider when looking at these statistics, with minorities seeing much higher birth rates then privileged groups. Birth rates for black females were 59.0 and 70.1 for Hispanics out of 1,000, while white teens had a birth rate of 25.6. In Canada, 8.4 out of 1,000 women has given birth under the age of 19. However, these rates are much lower compared to birth rates before 2000, and reality TV may have had an effect.

History of Teenage Pregnancy Reality TV

Reality television is a relatively new trend that has occurred since the early 2000's, and many networks have to be creative in the content they produce. The television network MTV is famously known for reality TV, with one of their biggest hits surrounding teenage pregnancy. The two shows that MTV broadcasts about teenage pregnancy are 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom, which follows the struggles of being a teenaged parent.

16 and Pregnant

Airing from 2009-2014, the show followed one girl each episode through the beginning of her pregnancy, up until she gave birth. The show is filmed documentary style, and focuses on issues such as stigma surrounding pregnancy at a young age, to financial and relationship issues. The show was created to demonstrate what teenage pregnancy is actually like, and promote better sexual education in adolescents.

Teen Mom

This spin off series focuses on previous members of the 16 and Pregnant cast as they try to balance motherhood and other issues that come with being a young adult. With 3.65 million people tuning in for the season three premiere, Teen Mom has become one of MTV's most viewed television series.

Platforms for Displaying Teenage Pregnancy

While television has typically been the main platform for displaying reality entertainment, in recent years, many teen moms have taken to social media platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat to tell their experiences with teenage pregnancy. Savannah Soutas and Maddie Lambert are two young mothers who have taken to YouTube to vlog the hardships they've faced, such as broken relationships with their children's fathers, and dealing with the stigma and bullying that comes with being a mom at a young age. Since our society has seen a massive rise in social media use the past few years, youth are much more exposed to the realities of teenage pregnancy then ever before, as different teenaged mothers share their experiences on a multitude of platforms. Another important component of using social media platforms is mentioning the choices these mothers have to make when finding out they are pregnant. Both Savannah Soutas and Maddie Lambert never questioned adoption or abortion as an option, as both are pro-life and had supporting parents. However, this is not always the case, and many other teen moms on YouTube, such as Sierra Watts who was fifteen when she gave birth to her son, struggled with aspects such as mental health issues, and decided to put her baby up for adoption at the last minute. While these are extremely personal issues, they decide to put their lives out in the public, knowing that they will face prejudice. Other teens are able to relate to certain aspects of their lives, and can take matters to prevent unplanned pregnancies.

Decline in Teenage Pregnancy

While some may argue that displaying teenage pregnancy in the media would create a rise in pregnancy's, data has proven that to be false. Kearney and Levine conducted research comparing the results of birth rates between July 2009 and December 2010, and found that there was a 4.3 drop in teen birth rates. 16 and Pregnant premiered in 2009, therefore it would make sense to correlate the show with a decline in teenage pregnancy. In Canada, the birth rate for people between the ages of 15 to 19 was 11.9 out of 1,000 in 2012, and had dropped down to 8.4 as of 2016. As well, teenage pregnancies are fifty percent lower in Canada compared to the United States. This could be due to the lack of sexual education the United States faces in their school system, and the stricter laws surrounding abortion in some states compared to Canada.