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

This paper investigates the potential role of new media as a shock to teens’ information sets and thus a possible influence on their sexual behaviors and fertility. I focus on the impact of the 2009 premiere of ‘16 and Pregnant,’ a program that both chronicles teen pregnancy and provides educational links on sexual health and contraception. It was the first of a continuing stream of reality TV shows on teen pregnancy. The conceptual framework considers how such programs alter the expected (dis)utility of becoming pregnant or perceived risk of pregnancy, relative to a teen’s existing knowledge of sex/contraception. It may act as a complement or substitute for formal sex education, which varies by state.  As viewership is endogenous, the empirical models measure changes over time using the premiere as an instrument for viewership. The models then allow for differential effects for groups who are more likely to be affected by the program: young teens (15-16) and women with less access to sexual health information. It also controls for confounding effects of coincident changes in emergency contraception policy, the economy, and the well-established, downward trends in teen fertility. The analyses also explore alternative mechanisms for effect, such as abortion and increased parental involvement, and subject the results to an array of robustness checks.  Results from the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) suggest that recent sexual activity (contraception use) decreased (increased) in the post-June 2009 period among young teens relative to older youth.  Supporting evidence from restricted-use Vital Statistics data indicates that fertility declined across all (young and old) adolescents in the post-programming period. For young teens, the strongest effects are found in states without sex education mandates, thereby suggesting that these programs could indeed be adding to teens’ information sets.