Published on January 13, 2008
Apparently, 7.3 million viewers can make even Nickelodeon turn a blind eye to unwed teenage pregnancies.According to www.nielsenmedia.com, 7.276 million people, two times the average, tuned into the network to watch the season finale of "Zoey 101," the 'tween show starring Jamie Lynn Spears.
Spears, the 16-year-old little sister of Britney Spears, announced her unplanned pregnancy last month. The fourth season of the show that focuses on teenager Zoey and her friends is scheduled to debut next month. Taping of that season wrapped before Spears made her headline-grabbing announcement.
Apparently, there may be talks about the show returning for a fifth season. The very sad part is that it just might make business sense for Nickelodeon to milk — no pun intended — the situation for as long as it can. But what's even more disappointing is that Nickelodeon is known as one of the safer cable channels for children. Even the Cartoon Network shows adult content after dark. So what would picking up the show for another season say to the young, impressionable Zoey fans? Probably that being a teen mother isn't as difficult as people make it out to be and that a kid doesn't stop your dreams of becoming a star or at least getting on the cover of tons of magazines.
Scary.
In a country where abstinence education reigns supreme, we pay dearly because of our ignorance to sexual health. It's unfortunate, and deadly, that countless people (especially teens and young adults) unknowingly walk around with sexually transmitted infections because they don't protect themselves while participating in activities that do not fall under their extraordinary liberal definition of "sexual activity."
If we're trying to protect our children from the hypersexual television shows, movies and music, you might as well put a parental block on Nickelodeon the same way you block Cinemax and BET. How odd that the home of popular children's shows "SpongeBob SquarePants," "Rugrats" and "Jimmy Neutron" is also the home to a show with a 16-year-old star who's also a mother and a "baby's mama."
I thought Disney was doing a bad job by subliminally telling young girls that all of their dreams will come true and they'll be saved as soon as they find a man to take care of them. But now they employ actors who do amateur Playboy shoots between gigs. But then this is the same company that kept using Lindsey Lohan long after her personal demons became public.
I don't believe teenage and/or unwed mothers should be tarred and feathered; I don't think taking nude pictures means you should be completely blacklisted. I don't even think being an alcoholic means you should never work again. But I do believe the people who are in the business of entertaining impressionable young children and teens should be held at a different, higher standard.
Let's stop teaching our children that what these people do is excusable because they're celebrities. I'm all for adults doing adult things when they're not hurting other people, but when you make your money from marketing yourself to children, you should act accordingly.
Katrina L. Rogers is a member of The Times' Community Board. Send comments to shreveportopinion@gannett.com.
