Decreasing Teen Pregnancy Numbers Linked to Teen Pregnancy TV Shows

Although some people feared that the teen pregnancy shows will make the whole idea more appealing for teenagers, these shows ended up having opposite results. According to the latest studies regarding teen pregnancy, these shows helped to reduce the rate of pregnant teens by 5.6% after the show’s debut.

Decreasing Teen Pregnancy Numbers Linked to Teen Pregnancy TV Shows

Statistical Data

The truth is that the rate of teenage mothers is quite high, especially in the developed countries even though the birth rate reached historical low points. According to the statistical data, teenage pregnancy has drastically decreased between 2008 and 2012. Specialists claim that the recession had a great role to play in this.

Teenage Pregnancy Shows

It is possible that the introduction of teenage pregnancy shows also had a word to say in this decline. There has been a study conducted that was meant to measure the effects that media has on young adults by studying the number of teenage mothers.

The Study

The researchers have been interested in whether the shows had any effect on the way teenagers see abortion and contraceptive methods. Even the specialists admit that it is difficult to determine whether the images make any change in the teenagers’ behavior.

Empirical Study

In order to determine the effects of the shows, the specialists conducted an empirical study. They took into consideration different measures of exposure like Twitter and Google metrics. It looks like the shows were more popular than the producers thought they would be with teens messaging and tweeting about the topics of the show.

Social Media

Google and Twitter made it possible for the researchers to find out what the viewers were thinking about when they watched the show. The results of the study suggest that the show itself really had a major impact on the ways teen see pregnancy and it might make them reconsider before they engage in sexual activities.

Results

As a result of the introduction of the show, teenage pregnancy has declined by 5.6% during the time period the show was running. In the same time the show is also responsible for the 30% decline in teenage birth that took place during the 2 years when the show was running.

The majority of people can only see the negative effects that media has, but in this case the results have been more than positive; the shows really managed to make a change in the world and teenagers’ lives.

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