A new study has found that TV shows like 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom are lowering the teen birth rate in America. INSIDE EDITION explains.
The stunning finding of a new study just released on Monday found that the show 16 and Pregnant is lowering the rate of teen pregnancy in America.
The hugely popular show and its spinoff Teen Mom are often criticized for glamorizing teen pregnancy. Many of the young moms become reality stars and end up on magazine covers.
So, you might expect their teenage audience wants to follow in their footsteps. But no, the shows are having the opposite effect.
The new study, by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that 16 and Pregnant may have prevented more than 20,000 births to teenage mothers in 2010. So what's happening here?
It seems the shows portrayal of the harsh realities of teenage pregnancy has a lot to do it. Teenagers across the U.S.A. are saying that this lifestyle is not for them.
Farrah Abraham was featured on the first season of 16 and Pregnant and became a break-out star, she now appears on another reality show, VH1's Couples Therapy.
INSIDE EDITION's Megan Alexander asked Abraham, "What is your reaction to this study?"
She said, "I am just very thankful that there has been a decrease, and it has been making history and it has been helping our younger generations better their futures. That is what I am most happiest about."