Teen pregnancy prevention tactic ineffective, study finds

According to a study published in The Lancet, teenage pregnancy prevention programmes which use ‘magic dolls’ to stimulate the needs of a new born baby are not effective.

The baby device cries when it needs to be fed, burped or changed. The research found that 1,000 teenage girls who took part in programme in Western Australia were more likely to become pregnant than girls who did not take part.

The programme is used in schools in 89 countries, including the US.

The study involved tracking girls who enrolled in the Virtual Infant Parenting programme in more than 50 schools up to age of 20. The findings identified that eight per cent of the participants had given birth at least one, while nine per cent had had an abortion.

In comparison, for girls who did not take part in the course only four per cent gave birth before the age of 20, while just six per cent had an abortion.

The news comes as the UK remains near the top of the European league table of teenage birth rates, despite seeing a decrease in conception rates in under-18s.

The formerly named Family Planning Association (FPA) has maintained that while ‘magic dolls’ are not used in the UK, more funding was needed to ensure a downward trend in teenage pregnancies.