How fast should our kids grow up?

Last night, with the urging from an 8th grader, I sat down to watch "The Secret Life of the American Teenager". I had seen promos for the show advertising the teenage pregnancy...high drama! I was so dumbfounded by the show I did not know how to respond. There is a scene where a 15 year old boy is talking to his dead mother about how he is in love with the pregnant teen (by the way he is not the daddy), and he is sure he will spend the rest of his life with her. I know all about thinking you have found true love at 15, but how do we convince this younger generation that there is a whole world of people and opportunity waiting for them. Your life does not have to be decided at 15. So I started tracking the problem.
Five years ago, I could turn on the Disney channel in the morning and let Caroline watch the TV safely while I tended to household business. I would say the programing was "safe" until noon. Today, if I turn on Disney in the morning, "safe" programming is over by 9:30. As much as I love "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" and "My Friends Tigger and Pooh" many mornings I skip it and put on Noggin, educational programs for the kiddos. I am not condemning Hannah Montana, The Suite Life with Zach and Codi, etc, but they are like middle school soap operas. They use phrases like shut up and stupid. These are not phrases we use in our house, but when said on TV with the canned laughter children learn that not are they only acceptable, but funny.
The most valuable lesson my parents taught me was to wait to grow up. Not to be in such a hurry. I didn't always like hearing or learning that lesson but somehow or another it stuck. I think that is why I get so ANGRY that today's youth are having their childhood stolen from them. They don't even know better to be angry about this. I think they don't know better because of the TV shows they are watching. These shows are asking them to not wait to grow up. You have TV shows talking about marriage at 15 and these kids just know that these two will end up together. And if the fairy tale can work for these fictional characters why not me. I promise you that what fiction they are watching on TV is becoming their REALITY. If what your children are watching on TV is not YOUR reality then don't let it into your homes. Turn off the TV, or switch to safe programming. Make sure your kid's are not robbed of their youth.
I would like to end this saying that after watching, "The Secret Life of the American Teenager", they did do a public announcement about kids talking to their parents about sex and vice versa, It is not enough to shut off the programming and hope it doesn't get into your house some other way, you must talk to your kids and let them know your values and your principles.