Usually the violence is saved for later, like once the girl has been cast on Teen Mom—Farrah, Amber, Jenelle—and the audience has become more familiar with her story and her circumstances, or perhaps when she is more comfortable with being in front of the cameras. However, season three of MTV's documentary series 16 & Pregnant, premiering April 19, jumps right into the issue of domestic violence in at least two different episodes, specifically one involving Jennifer Del Rio of Riverview, Fla., young mother to twin boys, who can be seen in the trailer above punching her boyfriend who is then taken away in handcuffs. The issue of increased violence has some asking if MTV is really still casting a light "on the harsh realities teens face when raising children at too young an age" or simply encouraging and exploiting the poor behavior of these kids for ratings.
Advertisement
Still, The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy thinks the show makes for good teaching material and believes that adults who work with teens should use it as a learning tool, even creating discussion guidelines to help. And as far as the question goes of whether or not 16 & Pregnant and Teen Mom glamorizes teen pregnancy, The National Campaign's research says that "82 percent of teens think the show helps them better understand the challenges of teen pregnancy and parenthood."
More violence in 'Pregnant' Season 3 [NY Post]
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy Is a Fan of 16 and Pregnant - Are You? [TresSugar]
