According to WebMD, a July 2008 report from the U.S. government shows a slight increase in the teenage pregnancy rate for the first time since 1991. In 2005, 21 of every 1,000 teenage girls in the U.S. became pregnant. In 2006, that number edged up to 22 per 1,000.

Also this month, Newsweek magazine presented an article questioning how Hollywood is presenting teenage motherhood, calling teen moms and their babies “a hot plot device.” Newsweek reported that OK! magazine paid $1 million for the rights to publish photographs of 17-year-old mom Jamie Lynn Spears (star of Nickelodeon’s popular kid show “Zoey 101″) with her newborn baby, Maddie. The cover of the magazine quotes Spears as saying, “Being a mom is the best feeling in the world.”

Entertainment programs, websites, and magazines devote entire spreads to young, unwed, pregnant starlets and their glamorous “baby bumps.” Designer diaper bags, celebrity-inspired maternity wear, and elaborate nurseries have mesmerized pop culture fans. Hollywood shows that the family-making process begins with pregnancy - planned or surprise - and perhaps, one day, will lead to marriage between the parents, or not.

Time magazine broke the news last month about a group of 17 high-school girls in Gloucester, Mass., who were suspected of making a “pregnancy pact.” The alleged agreement was that the girls - all 16 years old or younger - would get pregnant at the same time and raise their babies together. One teen reportedly became pregnant by a 24-year-old homeless man. The babies, the story reports, would love the girls unconditionally - a storyline made hugely popular by the recent blockbuster movie “Juno.” But any teenage girl who has faced an unplanned pregnancy knows that the experience is anything but glamorous.

As parents, we have a responsibility to teach our kids about family values, the consequences of premarital sex, and the dangers of unprotected sex. Kids will listen to somebody, so speak up and make sure your voice is louder than Hollywood’s.

Read more:

Chat about sex with your teen
Talking to a pre-teen about sex
I’m pregnant at age 16…

Are adolescent girls looking at Hollywood stars as role models? Not so much, according to the April issue of Glamour magazine-more like train wrecks. In fact, preteens have some words of wisdom for the young starlets in Hollywood. These tremendous tidbits of advice were written in letters to the stars by young girls with great insight:

Dear Celebrities-Instead of doing drugs when you are bored, you could help other people- Rebecca Fink, 10, Glen Ridge, NJ

I know you don’t get it now, but when you are older, you will see and wish you never did [drugs]. - Sharon Howard, 10, Alpharetta, GA

I just wanted to let you know that millions of girls and even some boys look up to you. - Natalie Fleming, 12, Arlington, VA

Drugs don’t make you happy, and then you have an awful hangover. I want to ask, Seriously, celebrities, why? - Olivia Losee-Unger, 13, San Francisco, CA

Pretty bright kids, don’t you think? So what about your preteens? Do they feel the same way as the girls who wrote into Glamour or do they admire the glitz and glamour portrayed by young Hollywood and ignore the drugs, DUIs, and stints in rehab? The mixed messages that preteens get today have to be confusing-especially since they’re bombarded on a daily basis. And unfortunately, it doesn’t look like it’s going to get any better anytime soon.