Music Television (MTV) reality show '16 and Pregnant' can help curb teen birth, a recent study suggests.

According to a research titled "Media Influences on Social Outcomes: The Impact of MTV's 16 and Pregnant on Teen Childbearing," the show proved helpful in raising the youth's awareness about the consequences of having a baby at an early age. The study claims "a 5.7 percent reduction in teen births in the 18 months following [the show's] introduction."

"The introduction of 16 and Pregnant along with its partner shows, Teen Mom and Teen Mom 2, led teens to noticeably reduce the rate at which they give birth," economists Melissa S. Kearney (University of Maryland) and Phillip B. Levine (Wellesley College) wrote.

Critics have been going after the show since its debut in 2009 saying it is glamorizing teen pregnancy which is a serious matter.

"Only 40 percent of teenage mothers ever graduate high school; two-thirds of families begun by an unmarried teen mother are poor," said the ultra-conservative Media Research Center (MRC). "So what does MTV do? It shows how cool teen pregnancy is with a new reality series."

Nicole Martins of the Indiana University in Bloomington and Robin Jensen of the University of Utah - two assistant communications professors -  echo the sentiment of the MRC saying '16 and Pregnant' and 'Teen Mom' produce a dangerous effect to its loyal viewers.

In a journal they wrote for the Mass Communication and Society, they said that "Heavy viewing of teen mom reality programming positively predicted unrealistic perceptions of what it is like to be a teen mother."

"The fact that teens in the study seemed to think that being a teen parent was easy might increase the likelihood that they'll engage in unsafe sexual practices," Martins said, "because that's not a real consequence to them."

The show, now on its fourth season, is one of the most successful reality shows in MTV.