TV Shows Highlight Teen Pregnancy and Parenthood
After a day at the office, I look forward to a relaxing evening at home. Recently, this has involved a lot of reading, since I’ve started frequenting the Richland County Public Library. But this is also due to the fact that if I turned on the TV, I’d feel like I was right back at work.
The number of television shows that deal with teen pregnancy and teen 
parenting is overwhelming. Shows like “16 and Pregnant,” “Secret Life of the American Teenager” and now “Teen Mom” (Season 2 premiered last night) continue to push teen pregnancy and parenting into the mainstream. I admit that I DVR “16 and Pregnant,” but usually find that I can’t make it through an episode without yelling at the TV. While I’m all for bringing awareness to a growing epidemic, these shows never deal with the root cause of teen pregnancy, and can sometimes glamorize the idea of becoming a teen mom.
This becomes even more apparent when you consider that Bristol Palin 
(arguably the most famous teen mom) and her fiancé Levi Johnston are pitching a reality show based on their lives as teen parents. According to ABC: “Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston want to take their love to the small screen. The couple is shopping around the idea of a reality show about their relationship. Levi and Bristol want a commitment for an entire series, but right now, there’s only interest in testing the show, as a pilot.”
Think about these questions and take action by answering: Would you watch Bristol and Levi’s TV show? Do you think that these shows send the right message to teens? Do these types of shows have a responsibility to educate on how to prevent teen pregnancy while they were created for entertainment value? Do they glamorize teen pregnancy?
