Influence of the Media on Teen Pregnancy

Figure 1: The Influence of the Media on Teen Pregnancy. 2010. video. YouTube.comWeb. 4 Nov 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CibnFEN0Iv4>.

The Situation:

It is clear that what is shown on television, in movies, on the internet, and broadcasted over the radio has a significant impact on the people who are exposed to such media. Today, moral codes and social standards are on the decline.  This significantly impacts the more impressionable minds of our teenagers.  One of the biggest topics portrayed in today's media is teen pregnancies.

Two of today’s most popular television shows are closely followed on MTV.  They are:

•       “16 and Pregnant”

•       “Teen Mom” 

These shows have a very negative impact on their younger viewers as they advertise that it is fun and exciting to have a baby in high school. 

MTV is not the only contributor, however.  Many films have been released that star pregnant teens as well.  The movies Knocked Up and Juno were top sellers and had an obvious effect on society.  After Juno was released, scores of teenage girls began to discuss how much fun it would be to have a baby.  There was even a group of seventeen year olds that formed a pact to get pregnant together (Housman).

Diaphana Distribution, . A Scene From 17 Filles. 2012. SlateWeb. 4 Nov 2012. <http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2012/03/a_new_french_movie_about_the_gloucester_pregnancy_pact_.html>.

Tabloids and teen magazines often feature excited, young, pregnant celebrities looking pretty for an eager audience.  The problem with this is that the photos and tidbits about these celebrities fail to capture the big picture.  “All we see is the cute baby and the celebrity mom” (Housman).

The message: Teen pregnancy is glamorous. 

 This is not a message that should be broadcasted to the youth of our society.

The Justification:

Some would argue that the purpose of these television shows is:

• To portray how difficult it is to be a teen mom
• To display the negative sides of having a baby while in youthful years
• To make people conscious of the problems that arise with teen pregnancy
• To feature “cautionary tales” of pregnant teens (Vlahos)

The Reality:

While the original intent of the mass media may have aligned with positive goals such as these, they have had an opposite effect.  Some consequences of being pregnant are portrayed, but nearly every story “come[s] to an end like a nice little package with a bow on top” (Housman).  Rather than deterring kids from sex and warning them of the adversity immoral actions can bring, the media has completely glamorized the situation.  Instead of portraying the main characters as cautionary tales, they have been made celebrities.  The media and the culture that follows it expose kids to the idea that it is exciting to be a pregnant teenager. 

Works Cited

Diaphana Distribution,.A Scene From 17 Filles. 2012. SlateWeb. 4 Nov 2012. <http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2012/03/a_new_french_movie_about_the_gloucester_pregnancy_pact_.html>.


Housman, Brian. "Popular Media Glamorize Teen Pregnancy." Teen Pregnancy and Parenting. Lisa Frohnapfel-Krueger. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Current Controversies. Rpt. from "Teen Pregnancy Not All Happy Smiles." Awake to Life. 2008. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 5 Nov. 2012.


The Influence of the Media on Teen Pregnancy. 2010. video. YouTube.comWeb. 4 Nov 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CibnFEN0Iv4>.


Vlahos, Kelley Beaucar. "Born to consume: For MTV, teen pregnancy is big business." The American Conservative 10.7 (2011): 22+. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 29 Oct. 2012.

Influence of the Media on International Travel

Television screens are often filled with the images of exotic locations and promises of unbelievably low travel costs. These advertisements do their best to make travel appealing, however, international travel rates have still dropped over the past few years. Although many factors could be involved, the media has had a large influence on this decrease in international travel in the United States.

The Numbers

Statistics certainly support the idea that the media influenced this drop in international travel. Consider the following numbers.       

• 2002: the number of US Residents traveling overseas dropped 7%
• 2003-2007: the number of international travelers continually increased by 4-12% each year
• 2008-2011: international travel rates began to decrease once again by 1-5% per year (International Trade Association)

There were no historical events that could have had such a great impact on airline travel, however, the news’ exaggeration of terrorism and an influx of terrorism films could certainly explain this drop.

News Bias

The bias of the news has a great impact on how the public views travel. News stations tend to try to outdo each other by finding the most outrageous and exciting stories to get people’s attention. In doing so, they often exaggerate the truth to appeal to the emotions of their audience.

This is fine for many subjects, but when it comes to terrorism, a matter that is already frightening and emotionally stimulating, it can make the public feel even more fearful and threatened. For this reason they are less likely to travel, especially outside the country, where they feel terrorism is more of a danger.

Fear-inducing films

It is also no surprise that people view other countries warily when the movie theaters are filled with films such as:

·             Vantage Point

·        Traitor

·        Body of Lies

·        Taken

These films all focus on terrorism and make the public even more afraid of international travel. For example, the premise of Taken is a teenage girl who goes to Paris with her friend. There they are kidnapped by human traffickers. This sends the message that foreign countries are extremely dangerous, and that Americans can be victimized more easily there.
Here is a trailer which illustrates how these movies cause fear.

Figure 1. Taken Trailer. 2009. Video. Youtube.com. Web. 3 Nov. 2012. 

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCbDUREBwUg>

Through dramatic news stories and fear-inducing films, the media makes people feel more threatened and is therefore influential in the decrease in international travel. It is impacting our views of other countries negatively and forcing United States citizens to miss out on enriching and eye-opening experiences that visiting other countries could offer them. The media greatly affects many things, and in this case, our desire to and concerns about travel.

Works Cited

International Trade Association. "2011 United States Residents Travel Abroad." July 2012. International Trade Association. Document. 30 Oct. 2012.

Taken Trailer. 2009. Video. Youtube.com. Web. 3 Nov. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCbDUREBwUg>