TV shows do increase chances of teen pregnancies

TV and movies are blamed a lot for behaviors among children and teens, even adults sometimes. Now, a study, published in the most recent issue of the journal Pediatrics, has found a link between teenagers’ exposure to sexual content on TV and teen pregnancies.

The study looked at 2,000 teens under 18 years, who were interviewed in 3 times over the course of a few years, beginning in 2001. The teens watched shows from 23 targeted programs that were found to have high levels of sexual content, both in images and in sex talk. The shows were from all genres from dramas to comedies to reality shows, and more. The researchers found that 700 teens reported that they had had sexual intercourse by the time they were interviewed the third time.

According to the journal’s news release:

Although the teenage pregnancy rate in the United States has declined sharply since 1991, the nation still has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates among industrialized nations. Nearly 1 million young women become pregnant each year, with the majority of these pregnancies unplanned. Research has shown that young mothers are more likely than others to quit school, require public assistance and to live in poverty.

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Tags: pregnancy blog, teen pregnancy, teen pregnancies, pregnant teens, sexual intercourse, sexual content