What to Know
If there is a decline in birthrates in the United States, that might be a problem. If there is an issue with fertility rates in the U.S., that’s also an issue. But if either of them is due to literal teenagers not having sex and getting pregnant, that should be a good thing, right? Well, according to a Fox News analyst, that’s very wrong. In a clip posted on TikTok, the analyst says that “the fertility rate” among teenagers is down and that’s a “problem.” I’m sorry sir, what?
Please have several seats and explain how birthrates among teenagers, children are an actual problem in the U.S. Because that’s what we’re talking about here. Children and birthrates, not fertility rates. Fertility is not tested in children, regardless if they are teenagers and on the precipice of adulthood or not. Birthrates are down, which means teen pregnancies are down, and somehow, per the Fox News clip, that’s something to be concerned about.
He says that “teens and young adults” are the problem with birthrates.
@nowthisimpact Fewer teen pregnancies is a 'problem' to Fox News. Just wow.
♬ original sound – NowThis Impact
In the clip, the Fox News analyst explains that, although there are still millions of births each year in the U.S., the issue is apparently a decline in teen pregnancies and subsequent births that way. The decline apparently accounts for a 70% decrease over the past 20 years. In most cases, that might be celebrated. For Fox News, apparently…not?
“The problem is teens and young adults,” the analyst says. “From ages 15 to 19, the fertility rate is down 7% and it’s down 70% over the last two decades. Meaning we’re telling people that are you not to have babies, to wait until they’re in a more stable life situation, until they’re more financially secure. Maybe they haven’t found the right partner.”
Yes, I’d say that at 15, most teenagers have yet to find their long-term partners. Even at 30, some people are still looking for their potential spouse and future baby daddy or baby mama.
“Isn’t this something we should be celebrating instead?” Someone asked in the comments under the TikTok.
“Remember when we collectively celebrated the decline in teenage pregnancy?!? Wow,” another agreed.
Someone else pointed out, “This isn’t 1982 when I could buy a house for $30,000. If I can’t afford to feed myself then I will not be having a child,”
To the same time, another user added, “Hey, maybe make life affordable so I can have kids. Sincerely, someone who would love to start a family, thanks.”
And that’s a legitimate concern among so many people of the millennial and even gen Z crowd. Things are not affordable. Jobs are hard to come by. Public assistance is criticized. Where is the middle ground or sweet spot?
And when it comes to the so-called declining birthrate among teens, a labor and delivery nurse commented, “Children should not be having babies. I am so happy to see young girls not giving birth as often.”
Some think it’s all about promoting the idea of young mothers.
Fox News is more conservative and right-leaning than ever. So for the clip to show apparent support of young teenage mothers having children at a young age and continuing down. That oath to have more children as they get older, it’s pretty on brand. But it doesn’t make it any easier to stomach when you look at the big picture.
One person commented, “It’s a great stat that supports bans on abortion and sex ed though.”
They clarified their sentiment with: “That’s what conservatives/Republicans want. They want to ban abortions and promote young mothers to strip them of rights, so these stats like ‘fertility rates’ are good stats to promote that goal.”
Another person commented that “It’s Fox News. They know what they’re doing phrasing it like that.” And you have to assume that could be true. Maybe there is something out of context here, as another person commented on the TikTok post. But for the most part, the idea seems to be a focus on less birthrates because people aren’t having children early enough. Yikes.
“Only FOX NEWS would frame a lack of teen pregnancy as a bad thing,” another TikToker wrote in response to the clip.
Fertility rates and birthrates are totally different things.
Since 2007, the teen birth rate has fallen 72%.
— Katie Miller (@KatieMiller) April 9, 2026
Hormonal birth control isn’t just poison for women’s minds and bodies — it’s killing population growth.
For the first time ever, birth rates for women in their late 30s have surpassed those in their early 20s.
Our biological… pic.twitter.com/myab8CDZxh
As others pointed out in the comments of the TikTok clip, the analyst says “fertility rates,’ but it’s birthrates that he is referring to, and there is a big difference. By using fertility in his report, he is pointing to a crisis for people to focus on rather than observe. If there is a birthrate issue, that can be solved a little more easily and with less dramatics than a fertility crisis. But it’s hard to believe there is a widespread fertility crisis among teenagers who are still young enough to be in high school.
“They’re also deliberately misusing fertility rate to mean birth/pregnancy rate,” someone pointed out. “And also, of course we are going to encourage teens to not get pregnant, they’re still kids.”
READ NEXT: 4 Better Reasons Why Millennials Don’t Have Kids
