MTV'S GROUNDBREAKING DOCU-SERIES "16 AND PREGNANT" RETURNS WITH NINE NEW EPISODES ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26 AT 10PM ET/PT
New Survey by the National Campaign Finds That Vast Majority of Young People Who Watch "16 and Pregnant" Say the Show Helps Teens Understand the Challenges of Teen Pregnancy
New York, NY - October 4, 2010 - MTV today announced it will air nine new, one-hour episodes of the controversial, breakout docu-series "16 and Pregnant," beginning on Tuesday, October 26 at 10pm ET/PT. With statistics showing that three in ten girls in the U.S. will get pregnant before the age of 20, each episode will take an intimate look inside the challenges of being a pregnant teenager. Additionally, research released today by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy finds that TV programs incorporating teenage pregnancy, like MTV's series, make young people think more about the risks of pregnancy and how to prevent it.
"16 and Pregnant" follows teens for 5-7 months as they navigate the unfamiliar territory and uncertainty of being pregnant. Viewers will watch as nine, new young mothers-to-be tackle grown-up issues including adoption, questions of paternity, sacrificing college scholarships, break-ups, deciding to go to school or become a parent, marriage and the kind of real-life drama that only adults should have to deal with. Cameras continue to follow the teens for a significant amount of time after they gave birth to document how they cope with taking care of their infants.
According to a new public opinion poll of 1,000 young people (ages 12-19) commissioned by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, a majority of teens, 79% of females and 67% of males, report that shows dealing with teen pregnancy make them think about their own risks of getting pregnant or causing a pregnancy, and how to prevent it. Additionally, 82% of young people who watch "16 and Pregnant" believe that the show helps young people better understand the challenges of pregnancy and parenting. Three-quarters of teens also say that what they see in the media about sex, love and relationships can be a good way to start conversations with adults, with half reporting that they sometimes or often have conversations about these topics with parents because of something they've seen in the media. For more information on the National Campaign's study, please click here: www.TheNationalCampaign.org/MediaInfluence.
"Teens have rendered a decisive verdict about MTV's '16 and Pregnant:' it's gritty not glamorous, sobering not salacious," said Sarah Brown, CEO of The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. "Some adults have suggested that the show makes teen parenting desirable. Thankfully, they are wrong. The overwhelming majority of teens who have seen '16 and Pregnant' say the show makes the burdens and challenges of teen pregnancy very real---not attractive or enviable at all. "
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy is working with MTV to support "16 and Pregnant." In partnership with MTV, The National Campaign will continue to create viewing guides for each episode so educators, key organizations and individuals can use the show, which will be available rights free for distribution, as a platform to have an honest discussion around sexual health and pregnancy with teens. Additionally, The National Campaign launched an online resource supporting the show at http://www.stayteen.org to answer viewers' most commonly asked questions surrounding pregnancy and provide young people with the information they need to be fully informed on this topic.
As part of MTV and the Kaiser Family Foundation's It's Your (Sex) Life campaign, viewers can also find resources on how to make responsible decisions about sex, insight into what to do if you think you could be pregnant, are pregnant or had unprotected sex, and information on how to choose and use contraception properly on www.ItsYourSexLife.com.
Online, MTV.com will continue to offer exclusive scenes you didn't see on-air, sneak peeks, blog updates from the moms, and exclusive original content only available on http://www.mtv.com/shows/16_and_pregnant/season_2/series.jhtml.
"16 & Pregnant" is Executive Produced by Morgan J Freeman. Tony DiSanto is President of Programming for MTV. Dia Sokol is Co-Executive Producer. Liz Gateley and Lauren Dolgen are Executive Producers for MTV. Jessica Zalkind is Executive for MTV. Concept by Lauren Dolgen.
Executive Producer Morgan J. Freeman (MTV's Teen Mom, Laguna Beach, Taking The Stage) made a name for himself as the Sundance award-winning writer/director of Hurricane Streets, a film centered on the trials and tribulations of teenage life. Freeman's latest films, Homecoming, a thriller starring Mischa Barton and Jessica Stroup (90210), and Just Like The Son (Mark Webber, Rosie Perez) were recently released on DVD.
**Source: Nielsen. L+SD Cvg Rating/000s. Teen Mom 2 = 7/20/10-8/10/10. Summer = 5/31/10-8/8/10. Rank on 000s.
About MTV:
MTV is the world's premier youth entertainment brand. With a global reach of more than a half-billion households, MTV is the cultural home of the millennial generation, music fans and artists, and a pioneer in creating innovative programming for young people. MTV reflects and creates pop culture with its Emmy(R), Grammy(R) and Peabody(R) award-winning content built around compelling storytelling, music discovery and activism across TV, online and mobile. MTV's sibling networks MTV2 and mtvU each deliver unparalleled customized content for young males, music fans and college students, and its online hub MTV.com is the leading destination for music, news and pop culture. MTV is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.
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