Mixed Messages: Teenage Pregnancy, Sexual Health and the Media

Pregnancy is the number one killer of women aged 15 to 19 worldwide. Each day, some 500,000 young people, mostly young women, are infected with curable sexually transmitted infections and 250,000 contract HIV. Most know very little about these infections and many are reluctant to seek services. Many are unaware that condoms offer dual protection from unwanted pregnancy and STIs. Even if they want to use condoms, they may not have ready access to them, or may be unable to negotiate their use.

Meanwhile, sexuality and alluring sexual content featuring teenagers is widespread: in advertising, popular music, movies and television. Often it fails to give a balanced view.

“As young people we face a dilemma. On one hand, we are exposed to sex, but on the other hand, social institutions, such as the media, offer very little opportunity for us to learn all we need to safeguard and protect our sexual and reproductive health,” says Jaevion, 18, from Jamaica. He is one of several adolescents who have responded to the question: what role do media play in preventing adolescent pregnancy? This question is for discussion at Conversations for a Better World, UNFPA's social media platform for young people.

The discussion at Conversations for a Better World is led by Advocates for Youth, an organization that helps young people make responsible decisions about their reproductive and sexual health. Asked about the media’s role, the young contributors believe that it can influence young people’s sexual choices, both positively and negatively.

The ongoing discussion at Conversations for a Better World also shows that cultural differences abound. Roli – a contributor from India – writes about the Indian movie industry and its representation of teenage pregnancies since the 1970s: “Why it is that as a film industry, which is obsessed with love stories, and makes sure that every film has a love angle to it (…), cannot find a way to bring sexual health out of the closet and speak about it?”

As Richael, another contributor, points out, mass media can advance positive messages. He points to the MTV-show Shuga, as a best practice. Produced as part of MTV’s award-winning global Staying Alive campaign, it challenges young people to ignite a movement to change their sexual behaviour, specifically in Kenya, Trinidad and Tobago, and Ukraine. In those countries, and many others, ‘edutainment’ initiatives address stigma, choices, friendships, multiple partners, drug use and HIV and other social issues.

Laurel, a contributor from the US, wonders about the impact of the sexual content in American television. This could be a wider problem, she writes, as American sitcoms have become very popular in South America: “Does this mean the US media has a bigger responsibility for its content and what it is teaching to the world’s youth?”

Join this discussion at Conversations for a Better World. Or chime in on the current topic: Youth Activism 3.0.