Preaching abstinence and encouraging the use of birth control and other forms of contraception are not the best ways to get young people’s attention about teenage pregnancy, a new study has found. The proven method, instead, lies with the MTV show “16 and Pregnant.”
According to a new study from the National Bureau of Economic Research, the controversial show reportedly had a “sizable, casual impact on teen birth rates.” The report suggests that “16 and Pregnant,” which prompted spin-offs “Teen Mom,” “Teen Mom 2” and “Teen Mom 3,” may have prevented 20,000 teenage births in 2010.
“The finding that 16 and Pregnant had an impact suggests that MTV drew in teens who actually were at risk of teen childbearing and conveyed to them information that led them to change their behavior,” the study states. “The fact that MTV knows how to make shows that teens like to watch, which speak to them in ways that resonate, presumably is critical to the show’s impact.”
Less than 30 out of every 1,000 teen girls in the United States gave birth in 2012, compared to 62 in 1991, according to the National Birth Rates for Teens. And the study argues that such a steady decline was likely spurred on by both the weak labor market and “16 and Pregnant,” which debuted in 2009.
The study’s authors, Melissa Kearney and Phillip Levine, analyzed Google Trends, Twitter, Nielsen ratings data and birth data to measure such changes in teen birth rates. Researchers found that the show led to a spike in searches about both birth control and abortion, especially during times when it was airing and in areas where it was more popular.
Teen abortion rates also fell between June 2009, when “16 and Pregnant” began, and the end of 2010, when it ended, the study states.
“This suggests that the shows’ impact is attributable to a reduction in pregnancy rather than greater use of abortion,” Levine and Kearney write.
According to the study, there was a 5.7 percent reduction rate in teen births in the 18 months following “16 and Pregnant’s” launch — accounting for one-third of the overall decline in teen births from the same period.
“This is sex education for the 21st century,” Levine told NBC News. “This is a show that very clearly exemplifies what life is going to be like in the aftermath of having a baby at such a young age.”
Each week, “16 and Pregnant” chronicles a teen’s experience with pregnancy, from the baby’s birth through his or her first weeks at home. Some criticized the show for “normalizing” teen pregnancy. However, Levine disagrees.
“You see very stressful relationships, difficulties with boyfriends, lack of sleep, difficulties completing their education — that clarifies for people exactly what life is going to be like afterwards,” he said.
According to the New York Times, outside researchers said the National Bureau of Economic Research’s findings “seemed sound.”
“It’s a substantial and an important finding,” Northwestern University’s Diane Schanzenbach told the Times. “If they told us this cut the rate in half, I wouldn’t believe it.”
Kearney and Levine conclude that “16 and Pregnant” and other shows that reach out to teens have “the potential to field large results with important social consequences.”
“Presumably the effect on the attitudes or behaviors of teens and young adults could be positive or negative, depending on the specific media content and context,” the authors write. “We find that media has the potential to be a powerful driver of social outcomes.”
