Have you watched many of the "16 and Pregnant" or "Teen Mom" shows? At first, I was just like you. As a high school teacher, I was concerned as to the message that was being sent to teen viewers. I pretty much had determined beforehand that the show did glorify teen pregnancy.

 

Then I started watching it and completely changed my mind. In general, in the beginning, most "couples" are excited and live in a fantasy world. "We'll graduate and he'll keep his college scholarship and the baby will be healthy and wonderful and I'll be able to study and we'll get married and everything will be just wonderful because we are soooooo in love!!!!"

 

THEN reality sets in. Pregnancy is hard. Many suffer complications. Many cannot keep up with their studies. There go proms and homecomings. The relationships suffer. (Of the first season, the only couple that stayed together were the pair that put their daughter up for adoption.) Many relationships even get abusive. Labor and delivery are tough. It becomes difficult just to find time to sleep, much less any time to study. College scholarships (for both academics and athletics) are lost. Babies are born unhealthy and must undergo surgeries. Some parents won't support you (financially or emotionally) if you decide to keep the baby. Some have their children taken away. Essentially, all of your plans for your life undergo MAJOR adjustments and sometimes get thrown out altogether. You love your child and that in and of itself is the one gift that you can count on. Everything else is a crap shoot (sometimes literally ).

 

What I came away with was a belief that rather than glorifying teen pregnancy, a fairly realistic representation (apart from the mom getting some money for being part of the show) of teen pregnancy is given.

 

My wife watches it so I've heard some of it while working on the computer. I agree about the show itself. But, as a high school student do you think they pay closer attention to the trials and tribulations of teen pregnancy or the glamour of being on TV? MTV knew that when they started this show that they could get away with it because they are attempting to send the message that teen pregnancy is life altering. However, they also knew that there would be a ton of interest in these kids and their babies. My wife dvr'd Oprah, I think, where they were catching up on the families. And in true Oprah fashion, the mom's walked away with gifts and such.

 

IMO, it's no different than showing someone run on the field during a professional sporting event. They don't show it because they don't want it glamorized.

My wife watches it so I've heard some of it while working on the computer. I agree about the show itself. But, as a high school student do you think they pay closer attention to the trials and tribulations of teen pregnancy or the glamour of being on TV? MTV knew that when they started this show that they could get away with it because they are attempting to send the message that teen pregnancy is life altering. However, they also knew that there would be a ton of interest in these kids and their babies. My wife dvr'd Oprah, I think, where they were catching up on the families. And in true Oprah fashion, the mom's walked away with gifts and such.

 

IMO, it's no different than showing someone run on the field during a professional sporting event. They don't show it because they don't want it glamorized.

 

I understand your perspective. Just hearing conversations that some of my students have about the show, they DO come away with a realization of the "reality vs. fantasy" issue. If you really DO "love" what's his name, then maybe unprotected sex isn't the way to go, as chances are you all won't be together a year from now, particularly if you get pregnant. Do you want to graduate with your class? Or graduate at all? If so, rethink the unprotected sex, as again, as teen moms are MUCH more likely to not graduate or not graduate on time AND less likely to go to college.

 

I think they consider the teen moms more as celebrities, as opposed to too similar to themselves.

Ok...I watched the first episode of this last night (very slow night and I couldn't sleep). Observations:

 

1) There is teen sex.

2) There is drug use (mainly pot).

 

We know that both of those things happen in the real world, so if MTV wants to claim that it represents real life, I suppose they can. However, the scenarios that the show presents are very far fetched. How many teens have driven their car into a body of water (six or seven kids in the car), had the vehicle totally submerged in minutes and all made it out alive? How many males get to be part of a girls' school's choir? There's more...but, I was too bored and too disconnected to the script to care.

 

I agree, a lot of what they show doesn't appear as "real world" to me.

I guess the bigger question for me revolves around the "child pornography" angle. Can juvenile actors engage in sexual acts on camera legally?

 

 

Are they juvenile actors? The cast of both 90210s are/were 20somethings portraying high school aged kids. I would think Skins is the same way. I watched it and they didn't look too much like kids my sons age.

Just read the link. Yeah, don't think I like knowing that these are teen actors depicting these acts. Makes a difference. I won't be watching anymore episodes. Makes me uncomfortable.

Much like every other MTV show I won't be watching, how about some videos or at least some programing that has anything to do with music.:sssh: Steps off my soap box.

Much like every other MTV show I won't be watching, how about some videos or at least some programing that has anything to do with music.:sssh: Steps off my soap box.

 

Those were the days...

Just read the link. Yeah, don't think I like knowing that these are teen actors depicting these acts. Makes a difference. I won't be watching anymore episodes. Makes me uncomfortable.

 

 

The big question is what parent allows their teenage child be in a show depicting such acts? The consistent lack of parental guidance in Hollywood is what blows me away.

The big question is what parent allows their teenage child be in a show depicting such acts? The consistent lack of parental guidance in Hollywood is what blows me away.

 

It's all about the paper and the fame.

Question: Aren't teens (I wanna say 16+) allowed to be filmed nude in movies and shows in Europe and places like Japan, etc.? Not saying it's right or wrong, but it appears to me (at first glance anyways) that the U.S. is much stricter and conservative when it comes to portraying teen sexuality than the rest of the world.