AIBU to wonder if Teen Mom UK reflects class demographics?

[Fieldday26]

I’ve recently started watching the UK Teen Mom series (I’m only on series 2, so this may change as I get further through it!) and I’ve noticed pretty much all of the girls/families featured seem to be from fairly working class/lower socioeconomic backgrounds. I’m absolutely not saying that as a criticism of them individually, some of them are doing amazing (finishing their A-levels, buying a house etc) and obviously I know the show is only a small selection of teen mums.

It just made me wonder why that seems to be the case. Do you think the producers specifically targets / chooses girls from those backgrounds because it makes for the type of TV they want to make? That girls from more middle-class backgrounds are less likely to agree to be filmed because they realise that Teen Mom potentially doesn’t portray teenage motherhood in a particularly positive light? Or is it actually fairly representative of the demographics of teenage mothers in the UK, and we’re simply seeing what the reality is? Or most likely a combination of all three?

I’m genuinely curious rather than trying to make a point about the girls on the programme. I also appreciate that “class” is a pretty broad and subjective thing, and I’m basing this entirely on what we see on the show rather than knowing anything about their actual circumstances.

Also does it change in the later series?

The. American teen moms from season 1 and 2 of 16 and pregnant are all mid 30s now.their "babies" are 16 -18 it all got a bit ridiculous thst they kept on filming them untill last year
Even the original British teen.moms are mid 20s and their " babies" are 9-10.

My point still stands for my own son though.

He doesn’t play rugby, and is now a part of that whole private school group, as he was introduced to the fold by that one friend. To say they don’t have opportunities for underage sex as much as the WC lot is slightly hilarious.

They just get more abortions, which is fair enough.

I the demographic very much highlights both which teens are more likely to keep a pregnancy and which families are likely to agree to appear on that kind of tv show.

I think what would be interesting now is that I think there may very well be more better-off families who would consider the tv aspect because of the whole way tv/media/influencer aspect of things have changed.

TV companies are also always going to target people who may make good tv. There’s never going to be a tv show about a teen mum with good family support who all juggle life well (practically and financially) and she gets settled into an average/normal life. Just as when there was shows about benefits it’s never an averagely paid hard worker who gets a small top up, or on the driving lessons one anyone who grasped it reasonably quickly and took, and passed, their test with no drama. It wouldn’t make the tv they want.