During my freshman year of college my English/Literature 102 professor asked the class to write a term paper on the topic on whether or not teen pregnancy television series or movies promote or prevent young girls becoming pregnant. This memory did not come back to me until I was randomly watching Teen Mom 2 on Paramount Plus the other day after work. Then I remembered having a few classmates and other girls from high school become pregnant on purpose just so they could get on the MTV show 16 and Pregnant while others created a pregnancy pact (for those that do not know, a pregnancy pact is when a group of girls try to all become pregnant at the same time) similar to the Lifetime based on a true story movie The Pregnancy Pact where a group of teenage girls from Gloucester, Massachusetts decided to become pregnant at the same time due to one of their friends who was already pregnant convincing the other girls to become pregnant. The pregnancy pact was also nicknamed "The Juno Effect" after the coming of age movie Juno, which was about a 16 year old high school student facing an unexpected pregnancy.
Television series for example as 16 and Pregnant, Teen Mom, Unexpected and many others were originally aired to show viewers (mainly young women) what life as a pregnant teen and young mother would be like. And every time there was a commercial break, the programs would advertise websites on how the individual can not only protect themselves and prevent an unexpected pregnancy, but also about dating abuse and where they can receive help. However, after the television shows became a hit, most individuals worried that the television series as well as the movies would glamorize teen pregnancy especially due to a few of the young ladies featured on the show became celebrities by appearing on covers of magazines, walking on the red carpet for award shows, becoming extremely successful financially, obtaining bigger houses, luxurious cars, going on fancy vacations, and becoming guest appearances on other television shows. In reality, the average pregnant teenager and teen mom are unable to afford a lifestyle similar to those on the television shows with most of them living paycheck to paycheck and unable to finish school.
However, there have been studies suggesting that these types of programs have lowered the teen pregnancy birth rate, with more young teens being cautious when it comes to sex by taking birth control and getting further educated.
Even though MTV, TLC, as well as other broadcasting programs might have started out with good intentions when it comes to these types of programs being aired on television in hopes of possibly educating the viewing public (mainly young teenage girls). The message unfortunately has been seen for some as a way for them to gain their "fifteen minutes of fame" with hopes of becoming a celebrity similar to these young ladies on television.
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