The Role of New Media on Teen Sexual Behaviors and Fertility Outcomes – The Case of '16 and Pregnant'

This essay investigates the media, specifically the 2009 premiere of '16 and Pregnant,' as a shock to teen information sets and potential influence on sexual activity and fertility. The program, chronicling teen pregnancy and providing educational links on sex and contraception, was the first of a continuing stream of teen pregnancy reality shows. The conceptual framework considers how such programs alter the expected (dis)utility of becoming pregnant or the perceived risk of pregnancy. I expect the treatment effects of the program to be stronger for women with less knowledge and experience – young teens (15-16) and residents of states without formal sex education requirements – and in locations with higher viewership. I test for these differential effects in a quasi-difference-in-difference framework, also controlling for confounding effects such as coincident changes in emergency contraception policy, the economy, and well-established, downward trends in teen fertility. The results indicate that fertility declined across all adolescents in the post-period. Unique to young teens, I find stronger effects for states without sex education mandates, and in areas with higher viewership. Supporting evidence from the NSFG shows a decrease (increase) in recent sexual activity (contraception use) in the post period for young relative to older teens