Researchers agree: MTV shows such as “16 and Pregnant” is a highly influential show for those who watch it. What they don’t seem to agree on is whether the influence is positive or negative.

According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, the teen birth rate declined by 15 percent in the 18 months after MTV’s “16 and Pregnant” debuted, and researchers say about a third of that drop could be attributed to the show itself. Another study (published by Mass Communication and Society) finds that fans of that show and MTV’s “Teen Mom” often have the idea that teen pregnancy is glamorous—perhaps lucrative.

The studies seem to contradict each other, but that’s not necessarily so. The Economic Research study, after all, examined “16 and Pregnant” exclusively, and that show always features a new cast—distancing its participants a bit from the celebrity status that “Teen Mom” participants enjoy. Furthermore, the study was limited to the show’s first 18 months on air, further mitigating the celebrity factor.

“So the problem, then, is not that MTV is making teen motherhood look amazing,” writes Slate.com‘s Jessica Gross. “It’s not: The teen moms have ended up in prison, and have been alleged victims and perpetrators of domestic violence, which MTV depicts in all its sordid sadness. It’s that tabloids—and more recently, the porn industry—are feeding off the popularity of the teen mom slate of shows and making cover girls out of these vulnerable women—posting pics of their bikini photo shoots and speculating about their new plastic surgery, while the moms are shown partying without their kids in Miami wearing T-shirts that say ‘Off duty.'” (Slate)

Paul Asay has covered religion for The Washington Post, Christianity Today, Beliefnet.com and The (Colorado Springs) Gazette. He writes about culture for Plugged In and wrote the Batman book God on the Streets of Gotham (Tyndale). He lives in Colorado Springs with wife Wendy and his two children. Follow him on Twitter.