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16 and Pregnant: The Reality Show
Filed under: Newborns, Babies, Adoption, In The News, Single Parenting, Teen Culture, Health & Safety: Teens, Behavior: Teens, Education: Teens, Activities: Teens
On June 11, 2009, MTV debuted a reality show, "16 and Pregnant," which examines the lives of expecting teen mothers and the issues they face including gossip, marriage, adoption and financial problems.
Each episode focuses on one girl, who is in her sixth- to eighth-month of pregnancy and ending when the baby is a few months old. The first season featured six girls. Farrah was a cheerleader from Iowa. Ebony, from Colorado, dreams of going to the US Air Force Academy. Catelynn might have had the greatest impact on the audience because of her decision to give up her baby for adoption. All six girls returned for a reunion show with Dr. Drew Pinsky, who answered questions from the studio audience and e-mails.
Not surprisingly, the show created controversy, inspiring bloggers to plead with parents to forbid their children from watching the show. MTV, however, realized the sensitive nature of the series and worked with The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy to create free viewing guides to go along with each episode that could be used by educators, parents, and teen organizations to start a dialogue among teenage viewers.
MTV announced in July that it would produce a second season, but the debut date has yet to be determined.
To learn more about "16 and Pregnant", visit the show's web site to watch full-length episodes from season one for free online. To find the free viewing guides, visit It's Your Sex Life.
Check out ParentDish for additional "16 and Pregnant" coverage as well as related news and updates on Teens & Tweens and Pregnancy & Birth.
Each episode focuses on one girl, who is in her sixth- to eighth-month of pregnancy and ending when the baby is a few months old. The first season featured six girls. Farrah was a cheerleader from Iowa. Ebony, from Colorado, dreams of going to the US Air Force Academy. Catelynn might have had the greatest impact on the audience because of her decision to give up her baby for adoption. All six girls returned for a reunion show with Dr. Drew Pinsky, who answered questions from the studio audience and e-mails.
Not surprisingly, the show created controversy, inspiring bloggers to plead with parents to forbid their children from watching the show. MTV, however, realized the sensitive nature of the series and worked with The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy to create free viewing guides to go along with each episode that could be used by educators, parents, and teen organizations to start a dialogue among teenage viewers.
MTV announced in July that it would produce a second season, but the debut date has yet to be determined.
To learn more about "16 and Pregnant", visit the show's web site to watch full-length episodes from season one for free online. To find the free viewing guides, visit It's Your Sex Life.
Check out ParentDish for additional "16 and Pregnant" coverage as well as related news and updates on Teens & Tweens and Pregnancy & Birth.
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
10-28-2009 @ 7:40PM
Cierra said...I absolutely love that show. No mother should hide these things from their daughter(s). Let them watch-it's ok-just make sure you do your job as a parent and discuss the issue. My mother practically had no shame in how she approached me about sex, teen-pregnancy, and even STD's--and I'm glad she didnt hold anything back. But the show is very inspiring...it should make you want more for yourself.
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10-30-2009 @ 11:56PM
Dani said...I was addicted to this show as well. I think it's pretty ridiculous for people to "shelter" their kids from seeing it.
At its worst, it didn't give a totally realistic representation of parenting, especially as a teen. But I don't think it glamourized it, either.
At its best, it showed the audience that having a baby means sacrafice, that it affects your relationship with your partner, that it can be exhausting, and that it changes your life and your future. And that if you don't practice safe sex, you can and will get pregnant. If I remember correctly, none of the couples used any form of protection.
If those bloggers/parents would take the time to watch the show themselves, before jumping to conclusions that by watching teenagers having babies on tv that their kids will follow suit, they might see that the show could be a great tool in discussing sex, relationships, and pregnancy with their kids.
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11-01-2009 @ 5:58PM
Kassy said...I think that this was one of the best ways to help teenagers prevent unplanned pregnancy. It showed both sides of the story and not just one.
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2-25-2010 @ 10:46AM
Nicole said...The hyperlink on "forbidding bloggers" isn't actually a blogger a telling parents to keep their kids from watching the show but telling parents to trick their kids into watching the show so that they can learn from others "accidents".
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6-02-2010 @ 4:34AM
Evagelos said...A very good article. Have you ever done a Rapidshare Search ( http://rapidqueen.com ) before? I recommend to try it.
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