Surprising news! The US Teen birthrate is the lowest it’s ever been! 6% drop – this is such great news. Experts are saying this is due to the economy, MTV’s “16 and Pregnant,” Bristol Palin, Abstinence only programs, and parents being more aware of the issue and talking to their kids.
This, of course, means no one really knows why it’s down – just that it is.
The economy seems to be the weakest reason – I somehow doubt teens are thinking “My dad doesn’t have a job, so I better not get pregnant.”
“16 and Pregnant” seems more likely – I’ve been saying kids will watch this and think “That won’t happen to me!” but go no further in their thought process about preventing pregnancy, etc.
One person commented on the link below and said her son says teen boys are occupied with video games and aren’t getting out there and getting it on.
I’d like to think it’s a perfect storm – parents talking more because of the recent increase in teen pregnancy, “16 and Pregnant,” Bristol Palin, boys stuck in their video games, school provided messages about waiting and using birth control, and in some small way, the realization that having a baby is expensive.
