Teen Preganacy isn't a Tik Tok trend you want to join.

By Amber Newton

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

As much as TikTok and other social media platforms have been utilized by wannabe child influencers to gain likes by showcasing that they had children as children themselves, this is one of the most abhorrent things on the internet right now. People must understand that while it may seem like a lot, it is actually a very small percentage of the population. Young adults who have children at a more recommended age are mature enough to understand that using their children for clout is not beneficial for them when they reach school age. It is estimated that only .001% of parents put their children on social media due to privacy reasons. Therefore, before one assumes that kids having kids is the norm, it is important to recognize that this is not the case. The average age for first time mothers continues to increase as youth become adults for longer and more women choose to travel, go to college, get an education, and experience life's joys before settling down. With the difference in physical looks between 20s and 40s becoming smaller all the time, and life expectancy 30 years more than when being in your 20s was normal to have children, women are realising that settling down in your 30s gives you the best opportunity to still be extremely young, at your physical peak and have the experience of travelling the world and maybe meeting the love of your life outside the small bubble you grew up in. Which is probably one of the biggest reasons of divorce. It is also been proven that women are ready for children well before Men mentally and men will go along with being ready because they don't want to lose there love ones.

Young Mom cassie 38 with her newborn

Teen pregnancy and early 20s pregnancy is life changing. While most teen and very young Adults pregnancies are unplanned, even a planned pregnancy has risks and potential complications. It is life changing, While most pregnancies are unplanned, even a planned pregnancy has risks and potential complications. While teen pregnancy rates have declined over the past 10 years, 16 of 1000 high school students still get pregnant each year in the United States while that figure is much lower in countries with higher life expectancies have a different perceptionon age than some Americans do.

Nearly 1 million babies are born to teens each year, including 18- and 19-year-olds and those under 23, and not all of them are ready for or want the responsibility.

A Healthy 28 year old women vs a Healthy 45 year old women below showing th difference between 20s and 40s is becoming smaller and smaller with the need to rush also not being there.

Loss of Education

As of 2022 an estimated 90 percent of pregnant teens drop out of school, according to Pregnant Teen Help, and only half of those young women have jobs.

Reasons for dropping out of high school include:

• physical problems

• such as morning sickness,

• emotional problems

• such as body image embarrassment

• a fear of bullying or sexual harassment

Medical Issues

Compared to non-teen mothers, teen moms have higher rates of medical conditions such as high blood pressure or preeclampsia, reports Aetna InteliHealth. Some issues are caused by teens getting less prenatal care due to low income, embarrassment or trying to hide the pregnancy. Teens also have higher rates of premature birth and low birth weight of babies. Pregnant teens also tend to suffer from anemia. To avoid these problems, teen moms should see a doctor regularly, eat well, omit alcohol and drugs and quit smoking.

Ageing

Dr. David Sinclair, a renowned biologist and anti-aging researcher, led a team that demonstrated that women who have children before fully developing may experience a 30% faster biological aging process, compared to women who wait until their late 20s or beyond when they are fully developed. While it may not affect your looks straight away it can later and biologically it will age you quicker to some degree. While many people who have gone through the experience don't believe that's true because they believe they still look young. We are talking ageing on a cellular and biological level. While 70% will age physically 30% quicker than there fellow peers who wait until they are ready. It's not only damage at a cellular level but also ageing from stress due to lack of financial security.

Lower Income

Teen moms have a greater likelihood of ending up on welfare, according to VAhealth. Additionally, the cycle will possibly continue through the next generation, as the daughters of teen mothers are 22 percent more likely than other teens to become teen moms, too, according to "Kids Having Kids: A Robin Hood Foundation Special Report on the Costs of Adolescent Childbearing

One of the biggest cons of having a child far too young is the impact it can have on a person's education and career prospects. Raising a child requires a great deal of time and energy, and for those who have not yet completed their education or established a stable career, it can be difficult to balance the demands of parenting with these other important pursuits. This can limit a person's options and opportunities later in life.

Another potential drawback of having a child too young is the impact it can have on a person's social life and personal relationships. Being a parent often means sacrificing time and energy that could be spent on hobbies, friendships, This can be especially difficult for young parents who may still be figuring out who they are and what they want out of life while there friends are still at a age where they want to party, travel and be young and free.

In addition to these challenges, there are also financial considerations to keep in mind. Raising a child is very expensive, and for those who are not yet established in their careers, it can be difficult to make ends meet. This can lead to financial stress and strain, which can in turn affect a person's mental and emotional well-being.

Finally, having a child too young can also have negative impacts on the child itself. Young parents may not have the life experience, emotional maturity, or financial stability needed to provide the best possible care for their child. This can lead to a range of challenges for the child, including developmental delays, behavioral problems, and emotional difficulties which have all been studied emencally.

As stated earlier in the Article Dr. David Sinclair, a renowned biologist and anti-aging researcher, led a team that demonstrated that women who have children before fully developing may experience a 30% faster biological aging process, compared to women who wait until their late 20s or beyond when they are fully developed. While it may not affect your looks straight away it can later and biologically it will age you quicker to some degree.

While social media may present a certain image of teenage motherhood, it's important to acknowledge the potential long-term financial difficulties that can arise from having a child at a young age. Statistics show that over 90% of teen mothers or young parents will live at or below the poverty line for a significant period of time, which can have a ripple effect on their educational opportunities, quality of life, and even life expectancy. It's essential to look beyond the filtered and curated images on social media and consider the real challenges and consequences of becoming a parent as a teenager.

However, mothers who give birth under the age of 23 are also a vulnerable population group, who may experience lower education and reduced employment. This may increase the risk of socioeconomic disadvantage for both child and mother. Children of vulnerable young parents are also at risk of becoming teenage parents themselves a domino effect of something that is very rare.

Teenage motherhood is associated with a number of poorer health and wellbeing outcomes for both mother and baby. In the short-term, babies born to teenage mothers are at greater risk of being born pre-term, with a low birthweight, stillbirth and neonatal death. Children of teenage mothers may go on to have behavioural, emotional and cognitive disadvantages Depression is more prevalent among pregnant teenagers than adult pregnant women or teenagers in general, and teenage motherhood can have a long-lasting effect on mental health.

Countries with the highest life expectancy seem to have the lowest teen pregnancy rate with Korea at just .5 per 1000 people. (America's life expectancy is ranked at 69)

America's ranking has gone down to 69 in life expectancey

Now while this tik tok trend may slightly increase kids in America to have slightly more kids a kids themselves which will increase the poverty rate there and less Women may go to college and form careers for a short period of time. Scientist believe it will only happen for a short time before better prevention education comes in and kids born in the 2000s will realise that the best thing to do is be fully devloped, have a career, life experience and financial stability before settling down. With this the kids that do don't realise that children cost a minimum of $310,605 until they are 18 and $500,000 if they go to college with the percentage of children who go to college from parents who had them as teens at 1.3% because peak earning rates in a good career don't come into until 47 onwards. Which makes sense considering with life expectancy going up, retirement age will also go up to mid 70s. It is very unrealistic that a teenager or super young parents could afford the Minimum which puts them at a disadvantage. With the avg American wage out of college being only $55,260 while only $27,987 for those who don't go to college in there younger years. A college graduate will on average earn well over a million dollars more in a lifetime than someone who does nor go to college. And while those who don't go to college shouldn't have children, they should but they should use there 20s to build a career and be able to save so they can give there children all that they can while they can have a disposable income themselves and that is well after your high school years.

In Higher socio economic countires like Singapore, Australia, Switzerland, New Zealand and Korea the tik tok trend won't effect those countires due to education on the prevention of teen pregnancy being much higher and the popularity of travel and building careers before settling down. These countires have a much different perception on age with 60s being called middle age between the population and anything before youth.

Avg age of first time Mum's per country 2023

From financial factors to healthcare, children having children impacts society as a whole.

Costs to Taxpayers

It’s no surprise that teen parents have trouble paying for the costs that a baby brings on. Without an advanced education and lacking the skills needed to get well-paying jobs, teens often fall short financially and the costs of raising their child are often passed on to society. Welfare and subsidy programs that exist on taxpayer funds come at a cost to U.S. citizens. For example, costs related to healthcare, foster care and other government programs that contribute to helping teen parents cost taxpayers more than $9 billion in 2011, according to the CDC.

Teens of Teens

The costs to taxpayers doesn’t just mean costs during pregnancy or for infants. Each child costs taxpayers roughly $1,682 annually from the time the child is born through the age of 15, according to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. Teens who were born to teen parents are more likely to drop out of high school and end up in jail than children born to older parents. This results in costs to society that include financial losses from the limited income that these teens earn as well as the expenses of incarceration.

Education and Earnings

The more education a person has, the higher her median weekly earnings are and the less likely she is to be unemployed, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. For example, in 2022, the median weekly earnings for someone without a high school diploma were $472. Compare this to $1,329 per week with a master’s degree and $1,714 with a professional degree. Roughly 50 percent of teen mothers drop out of school before getting a high school diploma, seriously impacting her ability to get a job that meets her financial needs and those of her child. Along with the personal impact that teen pregnancy has on the individual worker, the loss in tax revenue from under- or unemployment affects society with only .01% of people making money on social media, having kids to gain likes and make money is not going to end up in the result you may hope it does.

Problems Children Face

The children of teen parents are more likely than other children to become teen parents themselves. This creates a cycle that keeps the societal problems of teen pregnancy going. Along with this issue, children of teen parents have greater risks of medical problems due to lack of prenatal care, abuse and neglect, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. So this means also a domino effect of children having children and then your child having a child when you should be just having your child and then you also have to raise that child.

In its January 2010 report, the Guttmacher Institute notes that 7 percent of teen mothers receive either late or no prenatal care, and babies born to teens are more likely to be low-birth weight than are those born to women in their 20s, 30s and 40s.

These emotions and the demands of a new baby can be extremely challenging to overcome. Being a teen mom can bring along social repercussions that extend into adulthood. A large percentage of teen moms drop out of high school. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only approximately 50 percent of teenage mothers get their high school diploma by the time they reach 25 years of age.

Dropping out of school to handle pregnancy or care for a newborn can prevent a teenage mom from learning the skills necessary for adulthood and obtaining a job. Without proper education, she will struggle even more to rise above an increased risk of poverty.

Caring for a new baby requires a sacrifice of sleep, expenses, and time. For a teen mom or young Mom in her who was previously engaged in social activities, it might be a shocking change to suddenly be unable to participate in many extracurricular activities. rhat her friends will continue to do for years. The amount of isolation that she feels can be directly related to the involvement of the baby’s father or other family members. With a lot of financial help or offers to help with the baby, some teen moms are still able to enjoy a social life and can see friends or participate in activities on a semi-regular basis. However, if it comes down to you needing your parents for you to be able ro raise a baby you really are not ready for a baby. Some teen moms find themselves overwhelmed by their new lifestyle

Teen moms experience a social change during pregnancy as well. The lifestyle changes required in pregnancy means that activities with drinking or smoking are no longer an option, and the extra rest needed in pregnancy can cut back on the energy available for time spent with friends. Finally, the high stress levels that come with anticipating the new baby can make it difficult to enjoy extracurricular activities. RecommendationsTo minimize the negative social impact, communication with a solid support system is essential for a teen mom. If your teenager is experiencing the challenges of parenting, make sure she has access to a counselor. Your community might offer programs where she can connect with other teens in her situation, and some schools have programs that allow her to complete her education while receiving free or inexpensive child care.

In Conclusion

While it may seem like more children are having children due to your TikTok feed, that is far from the truth. What you're actually witnessing are kids who are simply using their unique situation for likes and attention. In contrast, responsible young parents who have children at an appropriate age may also use TikTok, but they understand that using their children for clout can have negative impacts on their child's mental health in the future.

The glorification of teen pregnancy on social media has led to the false belief that it is more common than it actually is. However, in first world countries, giving birth in one's 30s is the most common age range. It is important to note that the difference in appearance between having a child in your 20s versus your 30s or 40s is negligible. By waiting to have children at a normal but still young age, one can have a more successful and fulfilling life by traveling, pursuing higher education, working towards a career, saving for a house, and expanding their social circle beyond their immediate community.

In today's world, youth is prolonged more than ever, meaning there is no need to rush and settle down just for the sake of it. It's essential to look beyond one's comfort zone to find the person who is truly the love of their life. So, take the time to explore and discover the world and everything it has to offer.