Does MTV's reality show "Teen Mom" glamorize or discourage teenage pregnancy?
Recently, Lifetime aired a movie called "The Pregnancy Pact," which was based on a true story of young middle school girls making a pact to become pregnant at the same time. Are these images negatively/positively influencing a generation of young girls? What role should schools take in educating young people about the dangers of pregnancy? Should schools distribute birth control for students who request it? Is teaching "abstinence" unrealistic with today's youth? How can we fix this growing problem?
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The MTV reality show "Teen Mom" definately glamorizes teenage pregnancy. In this generation, people don't think that getting preganant is as big of a deal as it actually is, especially with these shows and movies come out. Girls will start to think it's not so bad to get pregnant, since it's on the television. I find this ridiculous and people should be more aware of what they're doing and what's influencing them. Schools should hold seminares explaining safe sex and abstinence. Kids should not just take one health class in their freshman or sophmore year and then never talk about it again. Teenagers should be very well educated about sex and smart enough to take the proper precautions.
-Danielle Johnson
I saw the movie pregnancy pact and i honestly dont think they give a realistic view of teen pregnancy and how it would affect girls today. I know that that had happed in Massachusetts but still it is a lot worse than they portray it. As for the MTV show Teen Mom, they try to make that show more about drama between the babies parents instead of the hardships that really come with parenting and raising a child. I dont think teaching abstinence today is relaistc because of the world we live in today but i believe they should still preach about STDs and teen pregnancy. I know there is controversy about weather to distribute birth control in schools or not and i dont even know if that would help. If teens really need to have sex it is their respinsibility to deal with the consequences if something happens because it was 100% preventable.
I have a hard time taking a position on the issue because I feel that unless you have experienced it, it is going to be hard to portray how it really is. I feel that "The Pregnancy Pact" tried to show the different effects and situations of teen pregnancy, but it didn't really show how life changes AFTER the baby is born. As for Teen Mom, i feel that it is good in the sense that it is up close and personal, but in the world of editing, the audience is only seeing selected images and scenarios. We don't necessarily see the true highs and lows that a teen mom and those surrounding her experience.
-Amanda Connerton
I had never seen the movie Pregnancy Pact, but just reading about it, it doesn't sound like it would have a positive impact on teenagers. I have seen the MTV show "Teen Mom" and I believe it gives truth to the situation of having a baby as a teenager, but i feel like it is more about conflicts between the parents, like Amber and Gary, who basically can't stand each other. I think it was a smart choice for the couple who put their baby up for adoption, they did what was best for the baby and themselves. I don't think that it is realistic to teach teenagers abstinence in today's youth, I think we should focus more on safe sex, and how to protect yourself from becoming pregnant and alternative options, such as birth control. I think that the nurses office should have condoms in it for anyone to take, so there can't be an excuse of not having one.
Although I have never seen the show, I have heard that MTV’s “Teen Mom” gives a pretty accurate description of teenage pregnancy. The show would have to display all of the stressful situations that arise from teen pregnancy as well as the abundance of difficult decisions that teens are forced to make. I think that in order to provide a positive influence, the movie “The Pregnancy Pact” is responsible for informing viewers about the risks of teenage pregnancy as well as the sacrifices that teens must make to give birth at an early age. I believe schools are responsible for educating students about the dangers of teenage pregnancy as well as informing students about the life changing events that will occur after becoming pregnant. I don’t think that teaching abstinence is unrealistic, but in today’s society the likelihood of abstinence being used in abundance is minimal. To be effective schools need to make students aware that raising a child is time consuming and it requires a tremendous amount of responsibility.
I do feel "Teen Mom" glamorizes teenage pregnancy. No one would want to go on a show thats a pregnant teenager. It is just a dumb show that shouldn't exist. Many teenagers watch this show and puts this idea of teenage pregnancy in their head, rather then it not being in at all. In the movie "The Pregnancy Pact" I think the images are negatively influencing a generation on younger girls. Some people many see this and say I want to do that, even if it very dumb. I think schools show have assemblies on how much this getting pregnant as a teenager will affect your life. I think schools should distribute birth control to students who ask because either way they would probably have sex whether they get the birth control or not. By schools giving it out i think would be beneficial. I don't think teaching "abstinence" is unrealistic because not everyone does it. By doing this though some people may listen which is better then not teaching them "abstinence". I think a way to fix this problem is just to get more awareness on what will happen to your life as teenage parents.
though i dont watch the show, I think "teen mom" does both glamorize and discourage the idea of a teen pregnancy. though it turns the teen moms into celebrities, it does show some of the hardships that come with getting pregnant as a teen from what i can find when i google the show. I dont think it does enough though because for the most part it does glamorize it. i think that our generation is a little influenced by things like this show and things like the pregnancy pact and i think that we should be doing more to try and show the dangers and hardships that happen because of the pregnancy. i think that is the best way to try and make our generation aware because there is not much more that you can do. in our generation, we like to rebel. if someone tells us we cant do something, that makes us want to do it more. if we tell teens they are not allowed to have sex they will want to do it more. i think the best way is to make this information available to them about the dangers and hardships and try to guide them more than tell them what to do.
I believe that the MTV reality show, "Teen Mom" both glamorizes and discourages teen pregnancy. First, by having the show in general you are glamorizing the idea of teen pregnancy. Everyone wants to be famous and have a tv show about them and giving these girls their own show and paying them for it can put the idea of "Teen pregnancy will make me famous," in young girls heads. However I do believe that the show portrays the effects of having a baby as a teen well. The teens lives are changed and life is much more difficult. They are forced to become adults and take greater responsibilty. However, i think that no show will accurately portray the hardships a teen will face after pregnancy, and glamorizing the idea is not helping. Everyone tries to educate teens to not have sex but, in reality teens are having sex and instead of pretending like they aren't we should be working to educate them of the effects that pregnancy and STD's would have on their life. Pregnancy is avoidable, and it is teenagers responsibility to be responsible and safe.
The MTV reality show teen mom shouldn't be portrayed as "glamorizing" teen pregnancy, for it is to show teenagers the hardships of what getting pregnant does to a teenagers life. It's informational, in both warning our generation on what could happen to seemingly innocent teenagers, and also showing what being a parent is really like. On the other hand, the movie "The Pregnancy Pact" is completely trying to glorify the fact of being pregnant at a young age. Middle school girls have no business in actually trying to get pregnant, for the only reason being "popularity." A channel like ABC family should be ashamed of portraying pregnancy to the young generation as being fun and the cool thing to do.
I believe schools educate the student body well enough about the topic, it's what they choose to get out of it. Some will actually listen to the facts, while others will disregard it all and do what they want. I absolutely think that if one is inadequate to afford birth control, or doesn't want to go through their parents, a school should provide it for them at no cost. I also believe that preaching abstinence isn't completely unrealistic with todays youth, but most will not choose to abide by it. We're at an age where we need to start making our own decisions and if sex happens to be one of them then we have to be ready to deal with the consequences.
I have seen both “Teen Mom” and “The Pregnancy Pact,” and feel as though both have strengths and weaknesses as it pertains to the message they send about teen pregnancy. I think that Teen Mom shows us four very different young women who got pregnant at a young age and were forced to make choices because of it. Maci, one of the teen moms, had her son and gained responsibility as a mother and embraced motherhood, while Farrah and Amber, two other teen moms, were more self-centered. I like that the show displays a couple who chose adoption, because giving up a child for adoption can be just as emotional as raising a child. While I like how Teen Mom shows us the daily lives of young parents, I think that more emphasis needs to be placed on preventing teen pregnancy. Also, the girls have been receiving too much of the spotlight lately. If we turn teen moms into stars, every teen who gets pregnant will expect to become famous. The “Pregancy Pact” was a pretty unrealistic movie, but focused on the debate as to whether or not contraception should be available for students at school. I do not believe that contraception should be available at school. Sex is a private matter and should neither be encouraged nor discouraged by schools. Schools should offer more sex education so that teens who do decide to have sex have safe sex and prevent teen pregnancy.
-Katie Skopkowski
These shows do glamorize teen pregnancy because many teenage girls are now on a TV show because they got pregnant. I think preaching abstinence is unrealistic in today's world so schools shouldn't waste their time trying to support it. Schools should, however, preach the use of protection and birth control to avoid STD's and teen pregnancy. If necessary, schools should supply birth control and protection to teenagers if asked by the students to help them out because either way, the students are going to have sex even if the school says not to.
Kenny Anello
I saw these 'teen moms' on the cover of literally three magazines while at the supermarket the other day and rolled my eyes at where America has headed. We are now a country that has accepted teen pregnancy so much that we even made a tv show about it and these 'moms' get treated like stars. It seems like they are getting rewarded for a bad thing if you ask me. I never watched "Teen Mom" or "The Pregnancy Pact". I believe that teaching kids abstinence is unrealistic. Instead they should teach having safe sex and preventing unplanned pregnancy. I do not think schools should distribute birth control that should come from the girls mother and doctor.
I dont think that the MTV reality show "Teen Mom" glamorizes pregnancy because the people in that show have very difficult lives because of the mistakes they have made and they will live with that for the rest of their lives. AS for the movie "The Pregnancy Pact" I've never even heard of it befoe nw but that completley ridiculous and I have no idea what teen in their right mind would want to have a child. I think that all the schoos can do is try to educate teens on the facts about teen pregnancy and hope that they make the right decision to be careful. Obviously abstinance is a safe choice but there are very few teens who are willing to practice it.
In my opinion, Teen Mom does not glamorize teenage pregnancy. The show lucid examples of the hardships pregnant teenages face. I can't even watch the show because of how bad it is for the people. Although I am not familiar with the pregnancy pact, it seems as if it not doing a great job discouraging teen pregnancy. It sounds as if it is displaying positive social impacts from the teen pregnancy. Since teen pregnancy seems to take over networks like MTV, many teenagers may not see it as that bad.
Schools should display the harmful effects of teen pregnancy. It will really ruin a young girl's life. I do believe that schools should distribute contraceptives. The fact of the matter is that teenager are going to engage in sexual relations, no matter what teachers say. Some people may say that by handing out forms of birth control, students are being encouraged to have sex. Either way, some will. But, now they will have at least some type of birth control. It is hard to fix this problem. The first thing that should be done is lessen the promotion of promiscuity in the media. Most kids who watch television are inclined to follow the example set. This is where we need to start.
I've never actually watched "Teen Mom," but I have heard some intriguing reactions to the show. First off, I don't understand how the show got on the air. Who wants to watch pregnant teens? personally I think it's disturbing. It should not be showed on MTV, because many teenage girls must watch that station. Basically the message behind the program is "it's okay to get pregnant." Reality check, it is absolutely not okay to have a child when your just a kid yourself. Nobody should have a child, until they are married and hold down a steady job. It's as if old fashion morals have just disappeared. Now in todays society kids are having sex at very early ages. There is no way to prevent this, but I believe the reason for this is all the TV kids watch and the music we listen to all have subliminal sexual messages and we may not even realize it anymore because we hear it everyday. If your going to have sex, use protection and birth control. It is NOT OKAY to get pregnant! Teens especially today are not responsible enough to take care of a baby, and they sure as hell don't have to money to raise a child.
I believe that MTV's Teen Mom discourages teen pregnancy. This may just be TV in general, but Teen Mom is a show where the couples argue and the stresses of teen pregnancy , i believe, are emphasized in this show. The only encouragement that the show might give is "get pregnant, get famous" because these girls are on TV for their 'wrong doings'. "The Pregnancy Pact" was a movie that wasn't necessarily positively influencing pregnancy, but the fact that they made a 'pact' to get pregnant at the same time is very very childish and may show younger girls that the decision to have a kid is small and minuscule. Schools should absolutely educate younger people about the dangers of pregnancy/sex. I actually think that schools distributing birth control in schools upon request is a great idea. Although some may believe that it's encouraging sex, a good education and access to proper protection will result in safe teenagers which will equal non-pregnancies. Teaching abstinence in schools is not unrealistic at all; it just requires a proper education by catching the kids attention and teaching in such a way that the kids actually absorb what is being said.
I definitely think that these t.v. shows make teen pregnancy out to be some amazing experience and that you can become famous on t.v. but they don't always talk about the girls whose lives fall apart after they have their babies. The ones who never get to finish high school or continue on with their education after that. I think schools should continue to teach abstinence because one thing that is said on most t.v. shows and by many teen moms is that they feel abstinence is the only answer. I can't imagine being in any of these girls shoes and having a baby at seventeen and I think schools should bring in teen moms whose lives may not be as glamorous as the ones on t.v. and tell students what it is really like.
I feel that teen pregancy should not be broadcasted on television. Watching these young girls being pregnant at the age of 16-17 years old is not entertaining. These shows are showing this negative event in a positive light i feel like. The more that young girls watch these kinds of shows the more they are use to it and dont think it is that big of a deal. The schools should be able to talk to teens able pregnancy and such. They should explain safe sex and the proper birth control more rather than total abstinance because it is unrealistic in todays era that kids are haivng pre-marital sex. So why not show them the "safe" way and a way where they wont end up being pregnant at 16.
The MTV show "Teen Mom" doesn't glamorize teen pregnancy much at all. It's just another stupid show for people to watch and invade people's personal business. I don't know what would convince someone who is a teen mother to even agree to basically be followed around by MTV cameras all day. It makes people feel bad for these young teen moms with a little drama thrown in to keep people entertained. School's should be more informative about safe sex and and teen pregnancy in their health classes. Maybe health should be required in more than one year of highschool. Maybe then kids will understand what can happen and how it can change their lives forever. It's one thing to accidentally become pregnant as a teen, but the teenagers making a pact to be come pregnant is one of the craziest things i've heard in a while. Why would they want to be teen moms? Especially without education, money, and a future. Teenage pregnancy is becoming a big problem and something needs to be done about it.
I say that the MTV reality show "Teen Mom" is a joke. Why are we encouraging this behavior? Instead if wasting time and money on a tv show, how about they spend it on something that will benefit these girls. We are creating the impression that teen pregnancy is no big deal. Last time I checked, it was. We have classes such as "Health" where we are taught how to have safe sex or abstinence and prevent pregnancy but, I guess that's not enough for some people unless they just don't care. We need to knock some sense in to these girls so they don't ruin their future at a young age.
Although I do think that "Teen Mom" and "The Pregnancy Pact" may seem to be glamorizing pregnancy, I do not believe that girls seriously want to become pregnant because of these shows. Girls know the difficulties, drawbacks, and disadvantages involved in becoming a teen mom and any rational thinking girl understands that having a baby as a teen is a bad idea.
At the same time, schools need to have a role in sex education. Although kids aren't having sex to have their own kids, they are going to do it, and pragmatically, schools need to give more information than just abstinence. I do believe that birth control should be available at schools, although abstinence should be taught as the preferred method of birth control.
Although i am not familiar with watching these shows, it sounds like they definitely glamorize teenage pregnancy. Schools should seriously begin to take a step further and explain to children that have a baby is a very serious responsibility and is not a situation to take light of. Sex is a very serious thing to deal with and i believe that everyone should be well educated about the subject before they begin to practice this act as well. All teenagers should seriously begin to take precautions on what they do during their high school career, because it will no doubt wind up catching up with them for the rest of their life.
Since i try to stay away from such mindless television, i'm not fully sure what these shows are really like. But even without seeing the shows, the girls who star in them are all over magazines and hollywood shows like E! news. It's almost like the girls are mini-celebrities! That is simply not okay. I don't think the media realizes it, but it's true, they ARE in fact glamorizing the teen pregnancies. I think the shows were first set out to show that you should NOT become like these girls, but it's become increasingly more about how the girls overcome the problem they got themselves into as if to say, "if you do this, it'll all be okay." And to send that type of a message is just so horribly wrong.
MTV's "Teen Mom" certainly glamorizes teen pregnancy. Shows such as this one, as well as the movie "The Pregancy Pact" make a joke out of teen pregnancy although it is a very serious matter. Girls need to see more about the struggles of teen pregnancy, so they can realize how big of a financial and emotional impact on them and their family. These shows have a negative impact on society because they are all stories that are atypical. I think that schools should show more videos and have more assembly's about people who have been affected by teen pregnancy. However, I don't believe that schools should distribute birth control to those who need it because they can be a health risk to people, and the distribution of medications should be handled solely by a doctor or specialist, not the school.
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