Teens In Trouble, 1
Teens in Trouble:
Quantitative Research on the Effects of MTV’s
16 and Pregnant
Lauren Mary Corbett
Anna Taylor Cox
Caroline Elizabeth Hamlin
Richard Olsen, PhD
Communication 200
April 29, 2010

Teens In Trouble, 2
Teens in Trouble:
Quantitative Research on the Effects of MTV’s 16 and Pregnant
This quantitative research report will examine the positive and negative effects of the
MTV reality show, 16 and Pregnant , on adolescent viewers. Our research focuses on the influence that the program’s depiction of teen pregnancy has on their perceptions as well as their behaviors. According to Nielsen, “
16 and Pregnant season two is up from season one by over
40%” (as cited in Gorman, 2010, para. 1). It is vitally important to evaluate the impact this show has on the teenagers because of the susceptibility of that specific age group. Gerbner explains,
“Children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable to the messages conveyed through television, which influence their perceptions and behaviors” (as cited in American Academy of
Pediatrics, 2001a.) The distorted perception of reality and body image is ubiquitous in music, magazines, television, and movies and has caused widespread desensitization in the US. “In social psychology, desensitization refers to the process in which repeated exposure to a stimulus leads to reduced responsiveness to it” (Strasburger, 2004, p. 61). Teens often accept misleading messages in the media as fact, which can have devastating effects on the social and emotional health and development of teens. A quantitative research report, such as this one, could determine the effects of MTV’s
16 and Pregnant on adolescent viewers. The results of the study would further illustrate how imperative it is for the media to provide appropriate and accurate portrayals of teen sex and pregnancy.
Review of Literature
For many years the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has expressed a serious concern for adolescent exposure to sexual activity and teenage pregnancy in the media. This content has significant long-term effects on young viewers. Studying scholarly journals, articles,

Teens In Trouble, 3 books, and research reports, we collected scientific research on media influence on adolescent attitudes and behaviors concerning sex. Analyzing existing literature gave our group a thorough understanding of the problem and cause responsible for these effects. Adolescents are impressionable and vulnerable, perceiving sexually suggestive material in the media inaccurately and accepting the media as a credible source. The resulting problem is a skewed perception of sex in adolescent viewers created by irresponsible media outlets. The media’s glamorization of sexual activity and failure to educate viewers in the responsibilities and consequences of sexual intercourse has played a large role in adolescent’s flawed perceptions. The obvious negative effect on adolescent viewers is an increase in promiscuity and risky premature sexual activity.
The Problem
Adolescents learn from exposure and experience, adopting new behaviors by modeling the actions of those around them. Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory states that children acquire certain behaviors by “observing others, both directly in real life, and vicariously through the media” (as cited in Strasburger, 2004, p. 56). Bandura’s theory also states, “cognitive processes, such as attention and retention are also involved in observational learning and can certainly modify how a media model’s behavior is interpreted, stored, and recalled” (Strasburger,
2004, p. 56). Adolescents have undeveloped critical thinking skills and few life experiences. As a result, younger viewers are more likely to believe that information received from the media is accurate (Strasburger, 2004, p. 55).
The significant role of the media in the learning process of adolescents is certain cause for concern. Adolescents in the United States spend an average of 6 to 7 hours a day exposed to different media outlets, which shows these viewers to a variety of complex messages (“Teenage
Sexuality,” 2006, p. 34). Adolescent viewers frequently exposed to sexually suggestive content

Teens In Trouble, 4
“are more likely to overestimate the frequency of sexual activity, have more lenient attitudes toward premarital sex, and view sexual intercourse as being beneficial” (“Teenage Sexuality,”
2006, p. 38). Three-fourths of teenage participants in a nationwide study believed that sexual content in the media influenced their peers. However, only one-fourth reported personal influence from sexual content. In reality, teenage television viewers gain the false perception that sex is consequence free and rarely planned (“Teenage Sexuality,” 2006, p. 41). This is an alarming concept because two-thirds of adolescents have a T.V. in their own room, making inappropriate media easily accessible and readily available (“Teenage Sexuality,” 2006, p. 34).
Can a television show like 16 and Pregnant convince teens to wait until a more mature age to become mothers? The question still arises that even if it can, is it worth the desensitization of adolescents at such a vulnerable age? Is the show normalizing teen sex and pregnancy to adolescent viewers?
The Cause
Television shows, such as MTV’s
16 and Pregnant , seem to portray a skewed version of reality, failing to address the importance of safe sex. Harris, from the Planned Parenthood
Federation of America, reports that, “more than 80% of teenagers’ favorite shows contain sexual content, yet less than half refer to the risks or responsibilities of a sexual relationship” (as cited in
Strasburger, 2004, p. 95). The American Academy of Pediatrics estimates that each year an adolescent in the United States is exposed to an average of 14,000 sexual references.
Disturbingly, only 165 of the references confront the issues of birth control, self-control, abstinence, sexually transmitted diseases, and pregnancy (Strasburger, 2004, p. 191). In 2004, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Report found that one third of shows featuring sexual content contain teens engaging in sexual activity (“Teenage Sexuality,”
2006, p. 38).

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Based on these statistics, it is not surprising that, according to Strasburger, the “American media are thought to be the most sexually suggestive throughout the Western Hemisphere” (as cited in the American Academy of Pediatrics, 2001b, p. 191).
The National Academy of Sciences reported that the media provides “young people with a lot of clues about how to be sexy, but… little information about how to be sexually responsible” (as cited in Wells, 2006, p. 34). The social cognitive theory predicts that viewers exposed to media content including “attractive characters that enjoy having sexual intercourse and rarely suffer any negative consequences are likely to imitate the behavior” (“Teenage
Sexuality,”
2006, p. 41). Could 16 and Pregnant have the same effect on adolescent viewers? Is the media normalizing, possibly even encouraging, promiscuous sexual activity through biased sexual content?
Solution
The media is a valuable resource when utilized to positively influence, inform, and educate viewers. Television has been used to advertise contraceptives and promote familyplanning clinics, spreading awareness with carefully developed advertisements (American
Academy of Pediatrics, 2001b, p. 192). Today’s media has become a principal sex educator of young viewers. Adolescents lacking effective sex education at home and in school look to the media to gain a greater understanding (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2001b, p. 191). By addressing the risks and responsibilities of sex, portraying more realistic relationships, and educating viewers on safe sex, the media could positively effect adolescents’ sexual beliefs and behaviors. Accompanying sexual content with public service announcements could increase the adolescent viewer’s ability to properly deconstruct media messages. Taking such actions would

Teens In Trouble, 6 increase the credibility of the mass media, ultimately creating a more aware, educated, responsible adolescent population.
Purpose of Study
This study will establish and analyze the positive and negative effects of the MTV’s 16 and
Pregnant on adolescents. After extensive review of relevant literature, the concept of desensitization was prevalent in the secondary research. A large number of adolescents have limitless, unrestricted access to media that exposes these impressionable viewers to sexual activity in an inappropriate manner, neglecting to responsibly depict the reality of sex and teenage pregnancy. This constant exposure to misleading content undoubtedly has an influence on teens, so this study aims to specifically examine:
RQ1: Is the MTV program 16 and Pregnant desensitizing adolescents to teen sex and pregnancy?
H1: Adolescents who watch MTV’s 16 and Pregnant will become desensitized to the concept of teen sex and pregnancy. Teenage viewers of the program will be more likely to have a casual attitude concerning sex and an unrealistic perception of teen pregnancy.
RQ2 : Is MTV appropriately and accurately portraying early sexual intercourse and teen pregnancy to the audience?
H1: MTV will be perceived by the majority of adolescent viewers as a credible source that provides accurate portrayals of teen pregnancy.
Method
Analyzing the positive and negative effects of 16 and Pregnant on adolescents provides understanding to the actions, beliefs, and attitudes of this generation. Our research focuses on the program’s depiction of teen pregnancy and its influence on teen’s perceptions and behaviors. An adolescent’s ability to process media messages is dependent on several demographic factors. To gain insight to each participant’s response, a pre-determined non-probability sample was selected

Teens In Trouble, 7 in the quantitative study. This approach allowed our group to uncover relationships between media influence and the age, sex, gender, and economic status of each participant. We carefully selected questions using language and concepts appropriate for our young audience. Once the data is collected, our group will carefully analyze the raw data, comparing responses in search of statistically significant relationships.
Participants
The quantitative questionnaire will be distributed to male and female students ages 12-19 in public and private high schools. Based on demographics of the private school, we presume these participants to be of higher economic status. Thus, we used non-probability sampling
(Keyton, 2005, p. 125). We will survey 500 pre-selected students to collect an accurate representation of the United States population. Applying statistics collected by the 2000 United
States Census, the demographic makeup of participants included: 71% white, 12% African
American, 17% other and 51% female and 49% male (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000). By administering the survey in this fashion we hope to receive honest data accurately depicting the
United States viewing population.
Instrumentation
The quantitative questionnaire will collect data in a variety of methods. The first section is made up of 10 close-ended demographic questions identifying participant’s socio-economic status, gender, age, ethnicity, family environment, and “locus of control” (Pearson, 2006, 11-14).
This categorical data determines an adolescent’s ability to process mass media messages. To determine participants “locus of control” we used a semantic differential scale, making the concept comprehensible to our young participants. Sections two, three, and four of the

Teens In Trouble, 8 questionnaire use a Likert-type scale to measure our variables (Keyton, 2005, p. 103). The interval data collected for each variable is then calculated to determine the effect of 16 and
Pregnant on each participant. We modified existing scales to appropriately address our adolescent audience and research topic. The T.V. Motivation Scale will determine specific reasons the subjects are tuning into the program. The News Credibility Scale measures the degree to which viewers perceive 16 and Pregnant as an accurate, unbiased, true account of teen pregnancy. Finally the Post-Viewing Scale will identify the behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs of participants after watching 16 and Pregnant (Communication Research Measures, 2004).
Data Analysis
Once the raw data is collected, the frequency distribution will be calculated, creating a polygon for each variable (Keyton, 2005, p. 183). Analyzing the polygon for each data set, our group will determine the type of curve. Then we will organize and summarize the data for each variable, breaking the information into sub samples (Keyton, 2005, p. 187). Next we will compute the mean, median and mode of the interval data to determine the central tendency. We will also measure the dispersion of each variable calculating the range and standard deviation of each data set to determine the ‘normalcy’ of our data (Keyton, 2005, p. 191). We will carefully compute these numbers using a spreadsheet because we are working with such a large population sample.
Conclusion
Lester Thurow says, “Values are not, and will not be, inculcated by the family, the church, or other social institutions in either the present or the future. They are, and will be, inculcated by the visual and electronic media” (as cited in Strasburger, 2004, p. 54). The

Teens In Trouble, 9 opportunities for mass media to influence adolescents continue to increase as the availability and affordability of technology does. Research continues to show the susceptibility and influence of the media on adolescents. Our proposed study would determine some effects of MTV’s
16 and pregnant on these viewers, specifically the desensitization to teen sex and pregnancy. It would also examine if MTV were providing an appropriate and accurate portrayal of early sexual activity and teenage pregnancy to the targeted audience. The survey for this study contains questions of a very personal nature and the accuracy of the results is dependent on the honesty of the participants.
This is one weakness of the study that we hope to negate by assuring participants that their identity will remain anonymous. This study would likely implicate the widespread desensitization to early sexual activity and teen pregnancy because of the show, 16 and
Pregnant.
It would also indicate that MTV is considered a credible source by adolescents who, in turn, view the information and messages on the network as fact or factual representation of reality. The depiction of teenage pregnancy and parenthood in MTV’s
16 and Pregnant is not factual in that it does not show all the challenges of teen pregnancy and motherhood. It also fails to address or offer any educational information the social and health risks of it. This supports the conclusion that MTV’s portrayal of early sexual intercourse and teen pregnancy is inappropriate, inaccurate, and irresponsible.
This probe was a challenging and rewarding assignment for our group. We feel that we better understand the importance of communication research and are much more familiar with the quantitative research methods and data analysis. Our group was challenged by the amount of research and preparation that this probe required. It required much more planning and better time management than any other project we have ever done. We became very interested in the

Teens In Trouble, 10 information on this subject and the new knowledge that this study would provide. We felt a strong sense of accomplishment upon completion of this probe.

Teens In Trouble, 11
References
American Academy of Pediatrics (2001a). Children, Adolescents, and Television.
Pediatrics, 107(2), 423-426.
American Academy of Pediatrics (2001b). Sexuality, Contraception, and the Media.
Pediatrics, 107(1), 191-194.
Freeman, M. J. & Sokol, D. (Executive Producers). (2009-2010). 16 and Pregnant
[Television series]. New York, NY: MTV.
Gorman, B. (2010). MTV’s 16 and Pregnant Season Two up from Season One by over
40%. Retrieved 04. 21, 2010, from TV by the Numbers, San Fransisco, CA. Web site: http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/04/21/mtvs-16-and-pregnant-season-two-up-from-season-oneby-over-40/49379.
Keyton, J. (2005). Communication Research: Asking Questions, Finding Answers.
New
York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Pearson, A. D. (2006). Media Influence on Deviant Behavior in Middle School Students
(Master’s thesis). University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC.
Rubin, R., Palgreen, P., & Sypher, H. (Eds.). (2004). Communication Research
Measures: A Sourcebook.
Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Strasburger, V. C. (2004). Children, Adolescents, and the Media. Current Problems in
Pediatric and Adolescent Health Care , 34 (2), 54-113.

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Wells, K. R. (Ed.) (2006). Teenage Sexuality: Opposing viewpoints. Farmington Hills,
MI: Greenhaven Press/Thomson Gale.
U.S. Census Bureau. (2000). Profile of the General Demographic Characteristics.
Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Teens In Trouble, 13
Appendix A
MTV’s 16 and WHAT?
Appendix A includes a 30-question quantitative survey specifically designed to gain demographic and categorical information from participants. The questionnaire is also devised to obtain some insight into their motivation to watch MTV’s
16 and Pregnant as well as the influence the show has on their perceptions, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. This information will be interpreted and seeks to establish the presence of negative or positive effects of the program.

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MTV’s 16 and WHAT?
Thank you for taking the time to complete this questionnaire. Your identity and all of the information gathered from this survey will remain anonymous. Some of the questions can be of a personal nature, but your input is very important to us. So please take your time to answer as honestly and accurately as possible.
Instructions: Select the category that best describes you.
1. Age:
2. Gender:
12-13 14-15 16-17 18-19
Male Female
3. Race: White African American/Black Native American Latino
Middle Eastern/Indian Asian/Pacific Islander Other
I live with…
4. Both parents A single parent
My parents…
A relative A non-relative
5. Both graduated college One parent graduated college
High school Didn’t complete high school
I am…
A virgin
Graduated
Abstinent (but not a 6. Sexually Active virgin)
7. In a relationship Single

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I often…
8. Blame my teacher for a bad grade 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
9. Act out and disobey rules
10. Do not practice safe sex
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Blame myself for a bad grade
Follow the rules
Practice safe sex
Instructions: Here are some reasons teens watch MTV’s 16 and Pregnant. Please circle to indicate whether each reason is exactly (5), a lot (4), somewhat (3), not much (2), or not at
all (1) like your own reasons for watching the show.
I watch MT V’s 16 and Pregnant…
11. When my parents aren’t around
12. Because it’s on MTV
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
13. Because my friends watch it
14. So I can learn about sex
15. So I can watch girls like me on MTV
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
Instructions: Here are statements made about the program 16 and Pregnant. For each statement please circle the number that is closest to your own feelings about the program.
Circle (5) if you strongly agree , (4) if you somewhat agree , (3) if you somewhat agree and somewhat disagree , (2) if you disagree , or (1) if you strongly disagree .
The program 16 and Pregnant…
16. Is realistic
17. Lets me see what would happen if I got pregnant
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
18. Shows the consequences of sex
19. Shows pregnant teens that are a lot like many girls my age
20. Is a good way to learn about sex and pregnancy
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1

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Instructions: Read each statement and circle the number that best represents your activity and feelings after watching the program 16 and Pregnant: (1) strongly agree, (2) agree, (3)
somewhat agree and somewhat disagree, (4) disagree, or (5) strongly disagree .
After watching 16 and Pregnant…
21. I think about what I have just seen and heard
22. I talk about sex with my friends
23. I talk about sex with my family
24. I know more about birth control and safe sex
25. I know more about the risks of engaging in sexual activity
26. I feel like it is irresponsible to have sex at my age
27. I am less likely to engage in sexual activity
28. I will use birth control when I have sex
29. I believe teen pregnancy is a very serious issue
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
30. I do not want to become pregnant, even if I had the chance to be on MTV. 5 4 3 2 1

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To: Dr. Olsen
From: TLC
Re: Peer Evaluation Two
Date: April 28, 2010
Anna Taylor Cox, (10): Anna has done an excellent job stepping up to the plate as the group leader for Probe Two. Anna was ready and willing to work hard, meet often, and motivate others to do the same. Anna’s big-picture orientation as well as her profound leadership abilities kept each group member from getting too overwhelmed, which allowed everyone to stay dedicated to our success.
Caroline Elizabeth Hamlin, (10): As the group gatekeeper, Caroline took on the responsibilities of keeping group members on task and productive. Her extroverted personality type allows her to offer advice or point out when refocusing might be necessary. She inspired fellow group members to continue doing their best work until its successful completion.
Lauren Mary Corbett, (10): Lauren did an exceptional job as the timekeeper for probe two.
Lauren’s sense of urgency and time management skills allowed her to set up an initial schedule and time frame for how long our team would need to complete all of the different components of this research project. She pushed the group to stay on schedule but quickly reorganized when the project presented challenges or opportunities.