Reality television has made a growing impact on many young teens’ lives. The truth is many teens’ and pre-teens do not understand the difference between the reality they see on television and the reality in the real world. They get the misconception that what they watch on reality television is how they should be living their lives, but they don’t see the side effects that can result from watching this type of media. The type of images that young adults are observing from the media can cause unclear messages. Reality television has a strong appeal to teens and pre-teens. Teens get the view that pregnancy, partying, and violence/drama is the way to go in life, but the reality of it is this kind of media can cause bad influences in many young adults’ lives.
Teen pregnancy on reality television is sending out hazy communications to teens and pre-teens. This type of media tries to glamorize the situations of a real teen’s life, but many of those situations seem to be fabricated. Teens get the idea that when having a baby everything will come easy and they perceive an unrealistic idea of how hard teen pregnancy can be. A reality television show that shows the lives of teen parents is on a well-known channel called MTV. The producers of MTV came out with a new television series called 16 and Pregnant in 2009. The show located six pregnant teens and began to film them throughout their pregnancies. The show was meant to display what it was truly like to be a pregnant teenager. After the first season of 16 and Pregnant, they began to film a new series called Teen Mom. Teen Mom was filmed so it could show the same teen mothers and how their reality was when their lives with a baby really began to sink in.
There were two case studies tha...
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16 & Pregnant is a TV show aired on MTV that as the name suggests, focuses on the lives of various teens who are pregnant whilst still in high school; each tells a different story. In these episodes, viewers are able to observe the struggles these teens face as a result of pregnancy during pubescent development. Controversy has been made as a result of the release of this show; this left viewers torn between whether 16 & Pregnant discourages teen pregnancy or shrouds it within curiosity. There is more than sufficient evidence to say that 16 & Pregnant, does in fact discourage teen pregnancy for various reasons. According to the New York Times report, the National Bureau of Economic Research compared Nielsen television ratings to birth records, and concluded that in areas where teens viewed MTV more after the debut of 16 & Pregnant, there was a rapid decline of teen pregnancy rates when compared to other areas that viewed it less frequently although some believe the show glamorizes the subject matter. Some also believe that it encourages the teens to disrespect their parents in every way possible; quite to the contrary, watching 16 & Pregnant is very beneficial to discouraging teen pregnancy and family problems by displaying the hardships these teens face, teaching the importance of completing high school and encouraging viewers to use various contraceptives methods or practice abstinence.
...sold worldwide. This makes teenagers and other young adults do unruly things to try and gain their own spot in the limelight. Even though reality television is supposed to be this great source of entertainment and may make us happy at the moment, if not watched carefully and really thought about it could ruin someone’s life with its negative values.
The MTV series 16 And Pregnant and its follow up series titled Teen Mom is a documentary like series that first aired in 2009 on June 11 and since then has had many seasons and sequels to follow it. Each episode in the series focuses on several young girls for 5-7 moths while they have to deal with the struggle of teenage pregnancy and “life after labor”. The initial idea or the show was to promote teen pregnancy prevention but, with many of the girls behaving scandalously and recklessly during the series, the show has become one of the most controversial on MTV.
The first effect of reality shows is the image it gives viewers. Reality shows give misconceptions of everyday life; the Real World and Jersey Shore show young adults relaxing, having a good time, and partying every day. The...
As the fictitious character of Katniss Everdeen captured the 21st century audience, so does the viewer of American reality television. Taken into account the influences of American reality shows, there’s just so much a parent can monitor children’s TV viewing. It’s a given fact that the young mimics the adults and as such, if these reality icons influence a supposedly mature adult, how much more of youngsters? In as much as I want to argue that it all depends on one’s moral standards, it seems to be apparent that the influence of today’s American reality TV may be perceived as psychologically destructive. Hence, may one day contradict a supposedly civilized society governed by standards of right and
Maybe you want to eat worm-based cakes, or fish eyeballs, or even jump off of a building-- but through the television glass, even the scariest of moments of reality can be entertaining. In the article “Reality Television: Oxymoron,” George F. Will speaks about television desensitizing people to important issues. Many shows broadcast are very violent, causing a domino effect resulting in darker and darker shows designed to compete. George F. Will agrees; reality television is more mainstream drama than “reality.”
Reality TV has been a very popular part of American society since its conception, but does it go farther than being simply entertainment? As it has progressed, the content of these shows has become increasingly raunchy on and off screen. The producers and “actors” on these shows are hungry for money and attention, a hunger that grows exponentially as the possibilities of reality TV do. The question, often asked is, does reality TV have a negative effect on our society? The answer is simple: absolutely! Reality TV is produced and directed by people that know exactly how to manipulate the truth. Run by those who lie to the public's face and can legally get away with it. The shows reach out to a very impressionable society and deeply implants immorality, negative self-images and other issues that threaten American society. Reality TV damages those that find themselves in the unfortunate, yet common, situation of being exploited on these shows and it does so purposefully for the sake of money and ratings.
When it comes to the topic of “16 and pregnant," most of us will readily agree that it is a debatable topic amongst teens and adults. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of whether, 16 and pregnant promotes or discourage teen pregnancy. Whereas some are convinced that it does not discourage, others maintain that it promotes teen pregnancy, because some girls just want to get pregnant to become famous. I agree that the show promotes teen pregnancies because, the show does not show how it really like to be a teen mom.
In today 's society, television is one of the greatest entertainment, and currently reality televisions have become the most commonly watched television programs. Reality tv, beside being entertaining , it has effected society in a negative
Tyson, Zakeia. "The Negative Influence of Reality TV on Teenage Girls." The Opportunity Agenda. N.p., 2 May 2012. Web. 8 May 2014. .
Reality Television has changed television in a way that no one could have imagined. Being the one of the most talked about genre in history, it is seen by millions of viewers. It has more ratings than any other kind of show (Breyer 16). From its start, there have been many Reality Television shows. Shows like The Real World, Survivor, Big Brother, and Jersey Shore. All of these give off a negative portrayal of reality. While Americans watch these shows, it seems that the show is real life, but in reality, no pun intended, before the show is even filmed, it’s written, edited, and produced (Breyer 21). Writers humiliate and degrade people just for the plot of the show, making their private lives public (Breyer 16).
While it is true that statistical trends have declined over time within teen pregnancy, but glamorization of the subject has increased. According to the OAH, “roughly 40% of females in the U.S. will become pregnant before their 20th birthdays.”(OAH) “Half of these pregnant teens give birth each year, while around 45% receive abortions. Around 85% of these pregnancies are unplanned and 7.2% do not receive medical care.”(OAH) Teen pregnancy has become a trend in the United States. The widely viewed MTV franchises, 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom, showcase the lives of pregnant teenagers during the end of their pregnancies and their days of motherhood. While the show advocates for the use of contraception and abstinence, there is still much speculation as to whether or not this is helping or harming society. The NBER Bulletin on Aging and Health reports that
Reality television has been around since 1948. Over the past decade, reality TV has seen a dramatic rise in popularity. Today, you can turn on the television and there is a chance that a reality TV show will be on. Reality television is a big part of American’s lives today. There are reality shows starting from relationships, drama, entertainment, to cooking, fitness, sports, and many more. According to a recent study by the Girl Scouts Institute, “Forty-seven percent of girls and young women say they are regular viewers, with thirty percent saying they sometimes watch it." It also reports, “eighty-six percent believe these shows often put girls against each other to make the shows more exciting, and seventy percent say they make people think it is ok to treat each other badly.” Reality television has affected society greatly by encouraging violent behavior, it elevates imprudent personalities, and depicting women of their values.
Cohen, Ilisa “Is Reality TV Messing With Your Head?’ Scholastic Choices November 2012: 12-7. Proquest. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.
Attention Getter: Nowadays, no one is astonished by the presence of pregnant or parenting teenagers. In fact we have a fascination with pregnant adolescents which is evident in the creation of “16 and Pregnant,” a MTV series that follows the real-life stories of American youth who have engaged in sexual activity and who have realized that reproduction system works because they are or will be parents to a cute baby boy or girl. We watch this series in anticipation of the child’s birth and to witness how the teen parents cope.