TLC's New Show 'High School Moms' Premieres Sunday: Should Pregnant Teen Reality Shows Be Banned?

Because everyone in Teen Mom (with the exeptiin of Catelynn) is miserable. If they dont pay attention we can always say "I told you so"

me and my friends watch these shows and it really influenced us that we aren't ready for sex and any of the consequences of unprotected sex. I'm sure as ever that I don't want kids at 16. Seeing these girls struggle being teens moms shows me that I don't want that to happen and just focus on my school work to become successful and be truly provide a good life for my future kids once I'm older

I can see both sides of this argument.
Teen pregnancy is the real problem, not the shows themselves.
On the one hand, a well done show can illustrate how hard it is to be a teen mom - how you lose all of your freedom & have the responsibility of another person - someone who's 100% dependent on you, whether you have any outside help or not.
On the other hand, a poorly done show can glamorize the whole situation & encourage more girls to think of a baby as the latest accessory.

Yes should be off the air

There is NOTHING glamorous about teen girls spreading their legs and getting pregnant and then becoming famous because of it. Enough of this crap. This show glamorizes teen pregnancy, making some teens think if they get pregnant they could get on the show too.

I tried to select yes! And the sooner, the better.

How many more teen pregnancy shows are going to be released before this addiction is all out of society's system? Better yet, how many more reality shows are we going to have to stomach before we can finally stop stalking celebrities' personal lives?

what about the free market If not enough people watch it the program will be off the air.

..and put them on the web, where real teens dealing with real issues can search and meet these people, and the get the real story rather than a sensationalised one. What point is there in idolising teen pregnancy to the whole country and make teens think they can get famous fast just by getting pregnant?

I don't now the correct answer here. I'd usually be one to say, yank it because it's glorifying it but at the same time, who knows maybe it is helpful in showing our teen girls just how life altering it is.

I say No.. but not because they can be helpful to teens; rather because I believe in the freedoms the Constitution allows us to live with. So what is the answer? Don't watch the shows and take control of what your children watch. If the advertisers don't see the ratings. they won't buy the time and if they don't buy the time.. you guessed it. the show won't be on for long. We do have the power to control what's being shown on TV.. and it's through the use of the remote and your TVs parent codes, etc. But if TLC or ABC or FOX believes the show will make money..they have the right to run it. As long as the laws aren't broken, of course.

Yes, the media has shirked its responsibilities along with the parents TLC has better things to do with their money than teach kids to become unwed mothers, like maybe raise awareness about the methamphetamine problem less of course they're into that also. I mean it has already been done. Try some original programming at least.

Look I understand that accidents happen and there are teens that get pregnant and have to take responsibility for their actions, and I praise them for that. But with shows like this you're encouraging them to.

I don't necessarily think these shows are helpful to teens, but that's up to parents and networks to decide. All speech should be free from government censorship, period.

Of course teenage pregnancy is inevitable, especially in this sexualized society, but I think shows like these just promote all the more.

We can defininetly get along much better without these shows which serve to promote
promiscous conduct in teenagers who aren't ready for parenthood quite yet. Teens need
to learn more about how to be compentant and confident parents from their own parents and guardiens, the education system, the clergy, and compentant adult relatives, and a lot less from the media.

No but not for the reason in the poll. It's about freedom. I'll never watch such trash, but "banning" is oppressive.

Yes I think they should be gone. I'm a teen, and this is coming from my point of view. All my friends talk about is how they want children. (and some are REALLY young) they say its going to be easy like whats on tv. Yeah.... Well wait until their stuck with them! Boy wil they regreat it. All these shows are doing is encouraging teens to get pregnant.! I disagree with what they are doing.

yes becuz to me it is just telling teens hey go out get knocked up & u can be on TV...how irresponsible of TLC...dont any of the shows people have teenage daughters? & if they do, do they really want their daughters on the show?

Yes. It can be helpful to most teens and teach them how hard it is to take care of another human. But they don't NEED the show to teach them. Parents can teach them. And besides, hardly anyone even likes those kind of shows!

Yes, get the "Teen What" off the air, and TLC should pay for these babies to be placed with respondsible, financialy secure married couples who want children, and can give them a better life. TLC should also pay to have these "Teen What's" get a Degree in
something, and be part of America's economic solution, and not the problem. Welfare?
How about birth control?

Two problems:
1. These girls are in High School (as is evident from the name of the show and the description provided above), so they're already in school. Until they graduate they're not eligible to go to college to get a "Degree in something"
2. How are these girls or their babies the responsibility of TLC? You're arguing against welfare while at the same time suggesting that these girls & their babies should be fully supported financially by a company (in fact, you're asking for them to be paid more than what welfare covers). How does that make any sense to you?

I agree that teen pregnancy is a major problem in our country, and we need to teach birth control rather than the Catholic "abstinence only" policy currently taught in public schools. But I don't see how making a TV station pay for someone else's mistake is any kind of solution.

It makes it ok to have a kid as a teen. It doesn't teach good values.

I know someone that watched these shows religiously and ended up having 2 kids by the time she was 17. The sad part is she does not know how to take care of her kids, thinks its daddy's responsibility to pay for their children's stuff, doesn't work, stopped going to school and on top of that lays around in bed all day thinking it's parenting. Her daughter lacks proper nutrition and always has to eat whatever she sees and does not give her son the attention he deserves. It's sad. Shows promote this stuff and all its gonna do is increase teen pregnancy and make young mothers think it's okay when its not. People do the "deed" all the time and are smart enough to use protection and prevent pregnancy.

I am not going to say "Ban" bans and boycotts don't work. If you don't like what's on the channel, hit them where it counts, by changing the channel.

I don't watch, which means I don't watch their commercials.

They should not have been given air time to begin with. If you want to send the message that you get instant cred and celebrity status for the sole reason that teeagers are impetuous, fecund, and stupidly not using birth control, then by all means fill the mental environment with more programs of this kind.

Becoming a mother at 16 should not be glamorized. You're only young once...LIVE! IT! UP! The world is your oyster.

with all of those reality TV topics it shows how idiots act , and might teach prospective teen age moms to wait seeing how tough it is .

What a great way to tell teen girls go get knocked up you might be famous. What the hell is wrong with the world?!? I want to music on MTV, not slutty 16 year old girls.

after 18 she needs sumone the result will b mom!!!!

I think that it shows them how hard it is to be teen parent, it teaches teens what not to do in a way. You have some many teens that think just because a boy says that I Love You, you have to sleep with them. I think that these shows teaches them raising a child is difficult and it takes money and love. And even though you can raise a child by yourself, you still need that support from a partner that is willing to put in the some work and love for that child. It shows them that once you become a parent or even a teen parent you have to grow up, because it is not about you anymore it is about this child that did not ask to be here. I know that I am going to get a lot of grief from this comment, but it is how I feel.

It informs Teen girls about what it's like to have baby's, but in the end there are still a lot of them that don't think things through and just think. "Oh, I should get prego and get on this show so I can get famous!" NOT!

Like someone else said, it's about time we get this subject out in the open.

Being able to talk about the issue in public is the first step.

quite a few girls have gotten pregnant just to get famous by being on the show, so i'd say get rid of the show. it's a bad thing to promote.

I get the reason why they do these shows, to help teens understand that you can't just sleep and doing it once without a condom is alright, it isn't, all these girls thought it wouldn't hurt because it was a one time thing and look at them, they have to give up their dreams and the fun part of being a teenager because they have to take care of their child or even worse, they get STD'S. Nobody likes to see children raising children but enough with it. Enough with the shows about that, we have plenty of them, trust me. There are other problems, you know?

I wouldn't say helpful... Free speech though. I think Jersey Shore should've been banned first. I don't watch Teen mom and say to myself, "You should have been knocked up at 15." Nope, they look miserable.

Funny thing is, teen parenting is lower than ever. Ironic, huh?

I vote no - but not because it can be helpful. Because its a free country. And while the show is crap and doesn't deserve the attention it gets - it has an audience. And we are a free nation - take the good with the bad.

YES..., YES..., and at the end of the day YES....! Not only Should Pregnant Teen Reality Shows Be Banned..., teen pregnancy should be banned... If it was a behavior that only impacted the teen mom and the teen father.., it really wouldn't matter... But more times than not the impact is much more far reaching....

The babies of teens are more times than not the victims starting from inception to birth and long after birth....Society as a result is shaped as the bi-product of these teen mom there by making the erosion of morals.., values.., and plain down common sense in the fabric of our culture a thing of the past.

In my opinion one of the most noticeable negative impacts on our culture is the depreciated respect youth have toward elders.. In fact elders are no longer viewed by youth as someone to respect as in with age comes wisdom. Rather as someone that is just old.., in the way and is no longer useful...JOMO