Teen Mom Makes Girls Think Single Parenthood is Glamorous? New Study Suggests Regular Viewers Believe Having a Child Young Leads to Desirable Life

A new study suggests that regular viewers of MTV's "Teen Mom" and "16 and Pregnant" reality series actually believe having a child at a young age leads to a desirable later life, with increased income and more interested fathers.

The study, carried out by researchers at Indiana University and the University of Ohio, also stated that many weekly viewers were under the impression that teen mothers led independent lives, had wider access to healthcare and a college education.

"Heavy viewers of teen mom reality programs were more likely to think that teen moms have a lot of time to themselves, can easily find child care so that they can go to work or school and can complete high school than were lighter viewers of such shows," Nicole Martins, assistant professor of telecommunications at IU wrote in the study, co-authored by assistant professor of communication at University of Utah, Robin Jensen.

Those that believed reality television shows were real were more inclined to regard teen pregnancy in a more positive manner, the authors found.

"The fact that teens in the study seemed to think that being a teen parent was easy might increase the likelihood that they'll engage in unsafe sexual practices," Martins stated. "because that's not a real consequence to them."

Martins wagered that making these teenage mothers into pseudo-celebrities could have glorified the single parent lifestyle.

"Maybe that's what's drawing viewers' attention: the fact that one of the teen moms, Farrah Abraham, repeatedly is on the cover of Us Weekly for all the plastic surgery that she's had. Well, a teen mom living in this country can't afford that; most unmarried teen mothers are on welfare."

These findings run counter to a New York Times article that cites another study by the National Bureau of Economic Research, which contends shows like Teen Mom have contributed to the overall decline in American teen pregnancies.

According to the paper, teenage birthrate has fallen by almost 6 percent, and shows like Teen Mom and 16 and Pregnant might have prevented at least 20,000 girls from giving birth as teens in 2010.