A recent study by Melissa Kearney, University of Maryland economics professor and director of the Brookings Institution’s Hamilton Project, showed a powerful connection linking 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom with a plunging birth rate for teenage women in the US. Through analysis of Nielsen ratings and corresponding social media data, Kearney and her research partner Phil Levine showed how viewers of 16 Pregnant and Teen Mom were more likely to search for information on birth control and abortion and more likely to see teen pregnancy as a negative outcome.

I'm not sure it's been long enough to tell if these shows are truly causing a decline in teenage pregnancy. I'm also not sure that these shows are really the cause. There are a ton of other things that have changed in the last 5 years besides these television shows. One that I can imagine is simply the access to information and birth control. 20 years ago, teenagers had to go work hard to get information - go to the library, hope parents and teachers provided information, etc. I'm also not sure how abstinence only education vs family planning education has changed over the same time period.

Today, 11 year olds have iPhones with a 24/7 connection to the internet. It's certainly easier to Google birth control, etc than it was before. It's also easier to see how close the nearest Planned Parenthood or woman's clinic is.

posted 3400 days ago