New opinion poll of teens shows media is not glamorizing adolescentpregnancy

WASHINGTON
- PRN - GHN News --Some people have said that the media glamorizes teenage sexual
behavior and teen pregnancy, but a recent study observes it does not,
despite some of the entertainment shows.

Teen

pregnancy has had considerable attention during the past two years.
There have been popular shows like MTV's popular shows 16 and Pregnant
and Teen Mom as well as cover stories in major magazines.  For that
reason, the media has been accused of glamorizing teen pregnancy.

According
to a new public opinion poll of young people (ages 12-19) commissioned
by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy most
teens (79% of girls and 67% of boys) agree that when a TV show or
character they like deals with teen pregnancy, it makes them think more
about their own risk of getting pregnant or causing a pregnancy and how
to avoid it.

Other
findings from the nationally-representative telephone poll of 1,008
young people conducted by Social Science Research Solutions include:

• Among those young people who have watched MTV's 16 and Pregnant, 82% think the show helps teens better understand the challenges of teen pregnancy and parenthood and how to avoid it.


• 76% of young people say that what they see in the
  media about sex, love, and relationships can be a good way to start
  conversations with adults.


• About half (48%) say they have discussed these topics with their parents because of something they have seen in the media.

A total of 162 young people ages 10-19 participated and completed both
the pre- and post-test questionnaires. Study findings include:

• 16 and Pregnant got young people talking and
  thinking about teen pregnancy -- 40% of those in the treatment group
  said they talked about the show with a parent, 63% discussed with a
  friend, and 37% discussed with a sibling.


• 93% of those who watched the episode agreed (53%
  strongly agreed) with the statement: "I learned that teen parenthood is
  harder than I imagined from these episodes."


• 83% said they learned new things from the discussion of the episodes.

 The
National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy says it
"seeks to improve the lives and future prospects of children and
families. Our specific strategy is to prevent teen pregnancy and
unplanned pregnancy among single, young adults. We support a combination
of responsible values and behavior by both men and women and
responsible policies in both the public and private sectors. If we are

successful, child and family well-being will improve."