Dating apps such as Tinder and Happn 'could spark an explosion of HIV', leading expert warns as STI rates soar
- British Association for Sexual Health and HIV say apps cause rise in STIs
- Apps make people change partners quickly, increasing risk of STI
- Expert: This could spark 'explosion' of HIV in the heterosexual population
- Added apps should 'invest more time in pushing a safe sex message'
Dating apps are increasing rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) with potentially catastrophic consequences, a leading doctor has warned.
Dr Peter Greenhouse, of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH), says the apps could trigger an 'explosion' of HIV in heterosexual people.
Speaking to BBC Radio 1's Newsbeat, he said: 'You are able to turn over partners more quickly with a dating app and the quicker you change partners, the more likely you are to get infections.'
'What really worries me is that we are just at a tipping point for HIV.
'If enough people change partners quickly, and they've got other untreated sexually transmitted infections, it might just start an explosion of HIV in the heterosexual population. Apps could do that'.
Apps must now invest more time in pushing a safe sex message, he added.
Dating apps such as Grindr (left) and Tinder (right) are increasing rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) according to the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) (file photo)
The latest figures from Public Health England show rapid rises in some STIs.
There has been a 33 per cent rise in syphilis and a 19 per cent increase in gonorrhoea in 2014
However, The Online Dating Association, who represent online dating sites and apps in the UK, disagrees that apps are to blame for increases in STI rates.
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Dating app creators argue they promote safe sex, while some apps even show the STI status of users.
Marie Cosnard, of Happn, one of the UK's most popular dating app, says it apps shouldn't be labelled as 'culprits.'
She says: 'Dating apps are following wider social trends and changing behaviours that have been unfolding for decades - there's a liberalisation of attitudes towards the number of partners, the status of relationships, towards marriage, divorce, etc.
'So the rise of any STD is not really connected to dating apps themselves.
'The problem is much wider. People need to be more educated in terms of sexual health and to take their responsibilities, no matter how and where they've met their partner.'
It's difficult to put exact figures on the amount of people who meet through apps in the UK but the Online Dating Association says that between 25 per cent and 40 per cent of new relationships now start that way.
'It's a bit much to blame the phone app,' said George Kidd, the organisation's chief executive told BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat journalists.
'People do this - not apps. If someone was feeling frivolous they might suggest blaming the tube system or leading pub chains for helping people meet.
'Our members are dating sites, not sex-encounter businesses but we should be alert to any very particular situations in which health advice is appropriate.'
It's thought as many as two new dating apps now open each week in the UK.
There are specialist apps for threesomes, swingers, religious groups, affairs and ones that reveal a person's STI status before they meet.
The latest figures from Public Health England show rapid rises in some STIs. There has been a 33 per cent rise in syphilis (pictured under the microscope) and a 19 per cent increase in gonorrhoea in 2014
The news follows similar warnings in the US, where experts warned dating apps make casual sex as easily available as ordering a takeaway.
In May this year, The Rhode Island Department of Health revealed from 2013 to 2014, cases of syphilis rose by 79 per cent, gonorrhoea by 30 per cent and HIV by almost 33 per cent.
They said the rise - which mirrors a national trend - can be attributed to dating apps such as Tinder and Grindr.
And in September this year, The AIDS Healthcare Foundation launched a new billboard campaign in Los Angeles, drawing users' attention to the risk of catching chlamydia and gonorrhea during casual sex among young adults.
The charity said a rise in STDs corresponds with the growing popularity of dating or 'hookup' mobile phone apps.
Whitney Engeran-Cordova, senior director, Public Health Division for AHF: said: 'Mobile dating apps are rapidly altering the sexual landscape by making casual sex as easily available as ordering a pizza.'
COULD YOU HAVE AN STI?
Anyone who is sexually active can help reduce their chances of an STIs by ensuring they do not have sex without a condom
Sexually transmitted infections are spread through vaginal, anal or oral sex, and by skin-to-skin contact.
People with undiagnosed or untreated STIs can develop long-term health problems and pass the disease on to their sexual partners.
Anyone who is sexually active can stop the spread of STIs and HIV by:
- practising safe sex
- using condoms or dental dam each time you have sex
- realising contraception does not protect against STIs
- getting tested regularly for STIs and HIV
Even if you are treated for an STI, it is possible to become re-infected if your partner is not tested and treated too.
If you are diagnosed with an STI it is important to take any medication prescribed by your doctor.
It is also important to refrain from having sex with anyone until your doctor tells you it is safe to do so.
Avoid sex or close contact with your partner if they have symptoms of an STI, and seek medical help.
Source: Rhode Island Department of Health
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