Teen Mom

TV review by Melissa Camacho, Common Sense Media
Teen Mom Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 15+

Docu takes a hard, unglamorous look at teen motherhood.

MTV Reality TV 2009
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Parents say

age 14+

Based on 14 reviews

Kids say

age 12+

Based on 30 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this follow-up to 16 and Pregnant looks at the challenges associated with being a teenage parent, including contentious relationships with their child's father, their parents, and other family members. As a result, there's tons of bickering and sometimes even physical altercations. Expect lots of strong language (words like "bitch" and "ass" are audible, while stronger words are bleeped) and conversations about birth control. Marriage and adoption are also discussed. It's not age-appropriate for younger kids, but it could potentially serve as a starting point for parents to talk to teens about sex and its consequences.

Community Reviews

Geeg102.
Geeg102. Adult
November 29, 2021
age 16+

Spoiled rotten

I have a daughter that became pregnant at 13 years old and now she has 5 children with the same father. My daughter is 28 now and we all live together and I love all of them. We struggle everyday and we don't get paid. So what would these teen mom's be like if they made it without payment, so it could teach your kids to not have babies until you are mature, because it is hard glamorizing being a teen parents, because it is hard on me , I have help raise the kids , but the father works hard for what they have. Show a program of single mothers that freed themselves for abuse and ideas how to help them and their children. Or teen mom that have children and had abuse in their life and are making it by. I am a survivor of abuse my whole life until I got free in 2000 I struggled lost My children and did what I had to get them back. I love to see if their are people like me and survive because I can't leave my home without fear.
Fortlora30
Fortlora30 Adult
January 17, 2021
age 2+

Janelle is the worse addict I know been there her mom loves her I use to hate my mom wake up little girl moms have been there!

Wake up child parents have been there if they loved us less cases its be cause they love us duh! Drugs cant help I know!
See all 14 parent reviews

What's the Story?

TEEN MOM -- a sequel to MTV's 16 and Pregnant -- looks at how four teen moms' daily lives have changed since their babies' arrival. Cameras follow each of the new mothers as they as they attempt to finish school, find a job, and maintain a social life while raising a young child. It also looks at the impact that their pregnancy has had on their friends, family members, and themselves. Though the show continues to document the challenges of the original "teen moms," a new crop of teenage mothers are being featured on TEEN MOM 2, which follows an identical format to the original.

Is It Any Good?

Unlike 16 and Pregnant, Teen Mom offers an unglamorous and often uncomfortable look into the lives of teen parents in order to underscore what life can really be like when you have a child at such a young age. It also highlights some of the inner struggles the young women face -- from negotiating their role as a mother and a "typical" teenager to coping with the loneliness and isolation they feel when they can no longer socialize as they did before they got pregnant.

It isn't easy to watch these kids living with the consequences of the choices they made. It's even harder to watch them act like teenagers when they should be making more adult choices for themselves and their children. But it's this very discomfort that will hopefully act as a red flag for kids who are thinking (or not thinking carefully enough) about following in their footsteps. As the show has gained in popularity, the teen moms have received lots of attention in the tabloids -- both positive and negative (one mother was accused of domestic violence against her child's father).

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the messages that the media sends about sex and sexual behavior. How do TV shows and movies tend to portray pregnant and/or sexually active teens? Are these portrayals realistic?

  • How has the media treated the young mothers on this show? Have you seen them featured in celebrity magazines and TV shows? What kind of message does this newfound fame send to teens about the consequences of pregnancy?

  • What pressures do teens face when it comes to when it comes to having sex? Aside from pregnancy, what are some of the other consequences that teens face when they choose to engage in sexual activity? How about when they choose not to?

  • What changes take place when a teen has a child? What do you think is the biggest challenge for a teenage mom?

TV Details

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