Teen sex is all up in my Google Reader this week and not because the characters in Glee were getting it on.

The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention released new statistics that the U.S. teen birth rate is declining. Between 2009 and 2010 the rate dropped nine percent to a record low. It’s dropping not because less teens are having sex (it’s staying about the same), but because — surprise, surprise — because teens that are having sex have started using contraceptives.

And for all you pro-lifers out there, relax, because teens are not only having less babies, but they’re also having less abortions. Being able to prevent pregnancies means teens are less apt to put themselves in a situation where they would want an abortion.

While cross-country the teen birth rate average is dropping, the University of Georgia released a study showing the correlation to higher birth rates and abstinence-only education. Fact: when people know how to use contraceptives (and have access to them) they are no more likely to have sex, they’re just less likely to get pregnant. So can we all just agree that abstinence-only isn’t work. Please.

Sticking to the topic of teen sex, concerned parents of American can stop fretting that popular culture is hurting their children. The Associated Press and MTV combined forces to do a study on teen sexting. Survey says only one percent of kids 10 to 17 are sending racy photos of themselves (either online or via text). A similar survey done in August showed that five percent of 14 to 17 year olds had sent nude photos of themselves.

While it does get higher for older youth, it still isn’t representative of the ALL TEENS ARE SEXTING message which is often painted. Parents, what you might want to be asking yourself, is why your 10 year old needs a cellphone with a camera. Or have their own laptop. Seriously.

That’s right, ladies, if you are addicts of shows like Sex and the City and Gossip Girl, you are going to get pregnant.

Kind of.

A study published in November’s issue of Pediatrics showed that teens who watch shows that portray only the good, fun side of sex, and not the risks and responsibilities that come with it, are twice as likely to get knocked up as teens who watch less sexually driven T.V. (Um, is there any?)

As a dedicated fan of both SATC and GG, after reading this article I started to wonder if my sex-drive was not self-induced, but really the doing of Blair Waldorf and Chuck Bass’s steamy encounters.

Answer: um, no?

Granted, I’m not a teen, but when I was, I don’t think the hornballs on Dawson’s Creek aided my decision to become sexually active. Sure, they may have got me a little turned on curious, but I never called up a dude to come do the dirty with me after watching Dawson and Joey get it on.

Media shapes a lot of what society thinks about any given topic, and it definitely plays a role in romanticizing sex, but there are many different factors when it comes to teen pregnancy that it seems almost ridiculous to place the blame on TV shows that are made solely for entertainment purposes. (Editor’s Note: Don’t take away my Gossip Girl, PEOPLE!) Even if kids were mimicing what they saw on TV, it is the lack of sexual education in many schools and at home that could be the real issue here.

Yes, TV has gotten a bit sexier than it was back in the day, but is that reason enough to place blame on TV and TV alone? Should the media be blamed and held responsible for adolescent pregnancies, or is that just totally wiggity whack?