“Using smartphone apps to seek out partners for casual sex poses an increased risk of sexually transmitted infections, researchers warn.”
Our Medical Director, Dr Steve Taylor, is quoted in this BBC piece about the dangers of so-called ‘sex apps’:
“This is definitely something we are seeing in our sexual health and HIV clinics, both among gay men and heterosexuals.
“Without a doubt technology has facilitated rapid partner change and therefore it is a perfect environment for sexually transmitted infections and HIV to spread.”
You can read the whole piece here. Dr Taylor also said:
“The use of the internet, full stop, has had a big impact on the way people find sexual partners irrespective of sexuality age or gender.
“Rapid partner change has always facilitated STI transmission, and the internet and smart phone apps just make finding sexual partners easier and faster. So it¹s no surprise that their use is associated with STIs.
“We are in the “Google generation”. Our health promotion needs to keep pace and also move into the digital world.
“We are currently using the Saving Lives twitter feed to get HIV awareness messages out to target audiences: the phrase “HIV testing saves lives” can, when retweeted by professional footballers, amplify these messages and reach hundreds of thousands of young people instantly.”
