In May, the WHO raised the alarm over the rise in the incidence of sexually transmitted illnesses (STIs) in many regions of the world, currently running at more than a million new cases per day. Among high-income countries, the US has one of the highest prevalence of STIs, and this problem is getting worse. For example, the incidence of chlamydia has more than doubled since 2000, while gonorrhea increased by 40% and syphilis by 400%.
The highest prevalence is among young adults between 20 and 34 years of age. Over roughly the same period, technology made it easier than ever to find sex partners: more than half of Americans under 30 report using dating apps. Such apps have existed for over 20 years but became mainstream around 2010.
Now, a study in Frontiers in Reproductive Health shows that these two modern phenomena may be linked. "Here we show the use of dating apps among college students is linked to an increase in unprotected sexual behaviors and a higher number of sexual partners, raising the risk of STI and HIV transmission," said Dr. Jaquetta Reeves, the study's corresponding author and an assistant professor at the College of Nursing and Health Innovation of the University of Texas at Arlington.
Let's talk about sex In 2022, Reeves and colleagues used an anonymous online questionnaire to interview 122 young adult college students between 19 and 35 years old of both genders in northern Texas. Participants were first asked if they had ever used a dating app. They were t.
