Only one per cent of teen boys think they would make a good dad
A new survey has found that 77 per cent of teenage boys just don’t know how to look after a baby.
According to a new survey published by Random House Group and children’s charity Coram, nearly half would struggle to change a nappy and a third would struggle to feed a baby.
In fact, only one per cent of teenage boys think they could be a good father at 16 years of age or under.
The majority felt they wouldn’t be able to become a good parent until they were at least 23 years of age.
Hardly a shocking revelation, but when you take into consideration the statistic that 38,259 babies were conceived to women aged under 18 in 2009, teen dads are going to have to learn these skills pretty quickly.
According to July 2010 figures published by the Department for Education, Britain has the highest teen pregnancy rate in Western Europe.
One in five girls who are sexually active at the age of 18 have been pregnant at least once.
Of those who had been pregnant, only 46 per cent went on to give birth.
No statistics on teen fathers were released.
Random House have come up with a way of reaching teen boys and helping them develop the skills fatherhood needs.
Working with digital production company Somethin’ Else, they have created an iPhone and iPod Touch app – My CriBaby, challenging the user to look after a baby and be scored on skill.
The release of the app heralds the publication of author Malorie Blackman’s new book – Boys Don’t Cry.
The powerful novel delves into relatively untouched territory, exploring teenage parenting from a teen dad’s perspective.
Malorie Blackman, says: “Teenage parenthood has become a UK phenomenon and this latest research merely confirms the impact it has on young people in society. When you really think about it, when was the last time you heard a teenage dad’s side of the story, yet in many ways they face the same challenges as teen mums. That’s what drew me to the subject matter for Boys Don’t Cry: I thought it was time to look at the role that teenage dads play and it provided me with an opportunity to give them a real voice and explore the challenges they face.”