Research suggests link between teen pregnancy and racy sitcoms

A study released Monday suggests a link between teens that watch sexually explicit TV shows and pregnancy.

To be more specific, these teens were twice as likely as those who had limited exposure to these shows.

Published by the nonpartisan, nonprofit RAND Corp., researchers are quick to point out that factors may lead to pregnancy, and TV may be one of them.

“We were surprised to find this link,” said behavioral scientist Anita Chandra, the study’s lead author.

While yes, TV may be a factor, I don't think it should come as a surprise. What should come as a surprise is that this study is supposedly one of the first of its kind. Also, I'm not sure I believe there is as much of a likelihood as the findings suggest. Too many factors contribute to pregnancy for the cause to be narrowed to one, two, or even three reasons.

If a teen or adolescent is going to engage in sexual behaviors, he or she will. Sometimes the media is given too much credit, and this is one of them. While TV does contain racy sitcoms, should they feel responsible for the way teenagers behave? No. Some may say media educates, but parents ultimately need to be the ones to educate their children about sex and the consequence of that behavior.