Hook Up Apps Increase Stds
R hode Island is currently experiencing what health experts are calling an “epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases” — and hookup apps may be partially to blame, officials said.
Rhode Island's Department of Health says that sexually transmitted diseases are way up in the state, in part because of the increase of hookup apps like Tinder.
- With more than 50 million people using these apps and sites, meeting up with someone for the sole purpose of a quick hook up is obviously appealing to a lot of people. “Netflix and chill” is a new euphemism referring to casually getting together to have sex.
- A new billboard linking dating apps with an increase in sexually transmitted disease rates spurred one app – Tinder – to issue a cease and desist order against the group behind it.
- New UN Report Says Hook Up Apps Fuel Global Increase in HIV, STDs; Apps Deny Links, Remain Unwilling to Do Anything About It In Global, News by AHF December 8, 2015 Two-year United Nations study attributes new HIV epidemic among young gay men in Asia to smartphone dating apps.
- It’s much easier to date today, thanks to the “hookup culture” that’s taken hold. The Tinder and Grindr dating apps have made it easier than ever to find Mr. However, this also has led to an increase in the number of.
Between 2013 and 2014, cases of syphilis grew by 79%. HIV infections were up 33% and gonorrhea cases increased by 30%. STD cases for young adults are growing at a faster rate than the rest of the population.
Rhode Island says the recent uptick in STD cases follows a national trend. The state's health department blamed 'high-risk behaviors that have become more common in recent years,' including 'using social media to arrange casual and often anonymous sexual encounters.'
A spokesman for Tinder did not respond to a request for comment.
Social media and online hookup apps have been blamed for a rise in STDs in the past.
A 2013 New York University study found that Craigslist was responsible for a 16% increase in HIV cases between 1999 and 2008 across 33 states. Grinder, a hookup app for gay men, was associated with more than half of all syphilis cases in New Zealand in 2012, according to Christchurch Sexual Health Clinic.
'These new data underscore the importance of encouraging young people to begin talking to a doctor, nurse, or health educator about sexual health,' said Rosemary Reilly-Chammat, an HIV/AIDS sexuality specialist for the Rhode Island Department of Education, in a press release.
Android Hook Up Apps
If you are familiar with the way hook up apps work, then you know that meeting someone to talk to, have fun, and have sex with has never been easier. Expectedly, a number of people use these apps to find meaningful relationships but the majority of users are looking for casual sex, which is why most apps help you find potential matches in your vicinity, regardless of other criteria.
The point of hook up apps is to facilitate the entire dating process but the problem is that they have unintentionally caused a spike in sexually transmitted diseases, according to experts on STD testing from Atlanta. As more and more people are becoming comfortable with frequently changing sexual partners, more and more of them are also contracting STDs.
Keeping in mind the prevalent opinion that STDs cannot be contracted with the use of protective measures such as male and female condoms, app users who practice safe sexoften believe they should never get tested for STDs. Those that are not concerned with safe sex practices rarely visit their local STI clinic without developing some of the symptoms of STDs.
To make matters worse, most of them are not aware that they have STDs. Namely, STDs don’t have to manifest themselves physically, which means that STD carriers can and willunknowingly spread those diseases to other people. Moreover, people who get infected are often unable to contact partners and tell them that they are transmitting STDs to others. This can basically start a never-ending cycle where the majority of hook up app users can end up with an STD.
However, dating apps are just part of the problem. STD testing Atlanta experts argue that the rise of STDs is naturally connected with the liberalization of sex attitudes. Put differently, people have changed their views on the number of partners one should have in a lifetime, the status of their relationships, as well as on marriage, starting a family, and divorce.
Whether you think that this is great because of the freedoms people have when it comes to making personal decisions or negative as it has led to the fall of family values, the point is that something needs to be done to prevent an epidemic of STDs.
Obviously, proper education plays an important role in STD prevention and sexual health improvement. People need to be more responsible as well, regardless of how they choose to meet their partners.
Hook Up Apps Increase Stds On Skin
If you have ever used hook up apps in order to meet sexual partners and engaged in risky sexual behavior, you should definitely visit one of the many renowned STD testing Atlanta clinics and talk to health providers there about the various steps you can take to stay safe in the future, as well as to get tested for STDs to make sure that you are not currently infected.