Social media influences pregnancy and marriages
Marissa Villarreal
Scroll through your Facebook news feed, what do you see?
A ridiculous meme or two perhaps some drunken party pictures, or even worse a classic duck face selfie or an obvious filtered mirror pic but nothing compares to the amount of baby spam and engagement announcements that take over my news feed.
Teen pregnancy has increased over the last couple years. According to Plannedpartenthood.org, in 2008, nearly 750,000 U.S teens between the ages of 15-19 became pregnant. It has even made its way to become a target within the media, with shows like 16 & Pregnant and Teen Mom so it’s no surprise when you know at least one person from your high school with a baby.
I’m not saying it’s the worst thing in the world to have a child early in life; to be honest, I really don’t care either way but when it becomes a trending topic on Twitter that is when I feel it’s become a problem.
Not only does it seem like a way of exploiting your children but it changes the mindset of those suffocated by social networks and the media; suddenly their thoughts go from negative notations like “Ugh who is that 16-year-old girl with a baby?” to more appealing approaches like “Did you see that 16 year old girl’s baby, I want a baby now too!”
It suddenly becomes an idolizing and fantasy life style.
I do not believe people should look down on anyone with a child. At the same time I don’t think an inspiration for a family should start with the baby fever people get from the photos and status posts all over Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
It is not just about having babies either; it’s the unbelievable number of engagement rings and bachelorette parties popping up around social media networks too. I see tons of girls from my high school getting married.
To think about marrying someone right now while I’m 21 years young, feels ridiculous.
I have no idea what direction my life is going and no offense, but I doubt your marriage does either and it’s also probably a good idea to avoid bringing a child into that as well.
Especially if it is all based off of popular hashtags and Pinterest boards.
Do not let social media newsfeeds and trending topics influence a lifestyle that you may or may not be ready for, just because it’s popular online.
