16 and Pregnant: Prevention, but at What Cost?

MTV's hit show 16 and Pregnant may well prevent pregnancy, but its no-holds-barred approach can hurt the young moms who make it great TV. The show details the lives of pregnant teens with intimate, cringe-inducing swearing, fights, and tears—which MTV and its partners hope will make teens think twice. But maybe, writes Jessica Grose for Slate, "essential truth isn't in the best interest of these girls."

The young women who star are not necessarily ready for the criticism they'll face. Despite the fact that the dads on the show "are pretty uniformly losers and jerks," it is "the girls who are ultimately made examples of." For their sake, MTV should keep the message, but cut some of the moments they'd rather forget.
(More 16 and Pregnant stories.)