MTV'S GROUNDBREAKING DOCU-SERIES "TEEN MOM" RETURNS ON TUESDAY, JULY 5TH WITH AMBER, CATELYNN, FARRAH AND MACI
Teen Moms Talk about Pregnancy and Prevention on
National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy
New York, NY - May 4, 2011 - As part of the National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, May 4th, MTV today announced that the network's thought-provoking docu-series, "Teen Mom" will return for a third season on Tuesday, July 5th at 10pm ET/PT and has been greenlit for a fourth season. Additionally, as part of the Emmy Award-Winning "It's Your (Sex) Life" campaign, MTV is rolling out a series of new public service announcements featuring Amber, Catelynn, Farrah and Maci talking candidly about sex, pregnancy and prevention.
Millions of viewers were along for the ups and downs each girl faced as pregnant teens on "16 and Pregnant" and the first two seasons of "Teen Mom" - now they'll watch as the stakes grow higher and the young parents face their biggest challenges yet. This season, the series goes deeper into the girls' lives as they confront old wounds, struggle to further their education, face strained relationships and strive to give their children the best life possible. Tensions grow higher and as always, the series gives viewers an honest, gritty look into the challenges of raising a child as young parents and life after choosing adoption. However, now these children are toddlers, and when dealing with the "terrible twos" - each day offers a new lesson.
In a new series of PSAs rolling out on-air and online today to support the National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, Amber, Catelynn, Farrah and Maci talk about the importance of protection and preventing teen pregnancy. Part of MTV and the Kaiser Family Foundation's decade long "It's Your (Sex) Life" campaign, the spots touch on what they know about contraception now versus before, what they would have done their senior year of high school if they hadn't gotten pregnant, the importance of timing, and the reality of being a teen mother. Each of the girls also addresses these topics in a series of exclusive interviews on MTV's ACT blog (www.ACT.MTV.com). To learn more about the realities of being a teen parent or to get expert advice on pregnancy prevention, viewers can head to www.itsyoursexlife.org. Additionally, the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy is challenging teens to take an interactive quiz at www.stayteen.org that poses real-life scenarios and asks them to decide what they would do in a risky situation before they are actually in one.
According to the National Campaign, one out of every ten children in the United States is born to a teenage mother and about one quarter of all teen moms have a second child within two years, making it difficult to get an education or escape poverty. Additionally, children born to teen parents are more likely to repeat the cycle and become teen parents themselves. Despite the availability of sex education and access to contraception, the United States continues to have the highest rate of teen pregnancy and teen birth in the entire developed world.
"The fact is, 50 percent of teens still say they've never even thought about how a pregnancy would affect their lives, and yet 3 in 10 girls in the U.S. will get pregnant at least once by age 20," said Marisa Nightingale, Senior Media Advisor of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. "MTV is doing their part to keep the national spotlight on this important issue by showing the reality of teen pregnancy and parenthood in programs like 'Teen Mom,' and by drawing attention to how teens can protect themselves." Nightingale added: "The good news is that teen pregnancy is 100% preventable. MTV is helping young people realize that it doesn't have to happen to them."
Last year "Teen Mom" was the #2 original cable series with P12-34 behind MTV's "Jersey Shore." The second season of "Teen Mom" averaged a 3.6 P12-34 rating, up +56% from the first season, and delivered 3.8 million total viewers each week. "Teen Mom" was Tuesday's #1 program with P12-34 across all of cable.
"Teen Mom" is Executive Produced by Morgan J Freeman. Lauren Dolgen is Executive Producer, MTV. Kenda Greenwood is Co-Executive Producer. Jessica Zalkind is Executive for MTV. Concept by Lauren Dolgen.
Executive Producer Morgan J. Freeman (MTV's 16 and Pregnant, Laguna Beach, Teen Mom 2) made a name for himself as the Sundance award-winning writer/director of Hurricane Streets, a film centered on the trials and tribulations of teenage life. Freeman's latest films, Homecoming, a thriller starring Mischa Barton and Jessica Stroup (90210), and Just Like The Son (Mark Webber, Rosie Perez) were recently released on DVD.
About The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy:
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization that seeks to improve the lives and future prospects of children and families. Our specific strategy is to prevent teen pregnancy and unplanned pregnancy so that a higher proportion of babies are born into wanted and welcoming circumstances. The National Campaign supports a combination of responsible behavior by men and women and responsible policies in the public and private sectors. Find out more at www.thenationalcampaign.org or www.stayteen.org.
About It's Your (Sex) Life:
For over a decade, MTV has been addressing sexual health issues through its Emmy and Peabody-winning "It's Your (Sex) Life" campaign, which encourages young people to make responsible decisions about their sexual health. Since 1997, the Kaiser Family Foundation and MTV have worked together on this extensive public information partnership to address HIV/AIDs, other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and related sexual health issues. Touching on topics ranging from unintended pregnancy to safe sex and HIV and STD Testing, the campaign has reached over 200 million young people since launch. The partnership includes targeted public service advertisements (PSAs), entertainment and other special programming, news segments, and free resources, including an informational guide developed especially for the campaign, and an extensive website www.itsyoursexlife.com.
About MTV:
MTV is the world's premier youth entertainment brand. With a global reach of more than a half-billion households, MTV is the cultural home of the millennial generation, music fans and artists, and a pioneer in creating innovative programming for young people. MTV reflects and creates pop culture with its Emmy(R), Grammy(R) and Peabody(R) award-winning content built around compelling storytelling, music discovery and activism across TV, online and mobile. MTV's sibling networks MTV2 and mtvU each deliver unparalleled customized content for young males, music fans and college students, and its online hub MTV.com is the leading destination for music, news and pop culture. MTV is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.
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