Study links dating app use to increased risk of STIs among college students

In May, the WHO sounded the alarm over the increasing incidence of sexually transmitted diseases (STIs) in many parts of the world, which currently stands at more than 1 million new cases per day. Among high-income countries, the United States 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 has increased by 40% and syphilis by 400%. The highest prevalence is among young adults aged 20 to 34.

Around the same time, technology has made it easier than ever to find sexual partners: more than half of Americans under 30 report using dating apps. Such apps have been around for more than 20 years, but became common around 2010. Now, a new study in Frontiers of Reproductive Health shows that these two modern phenomena can be linked.

Here we show that dating app use among college students is linked to increased unprotected sexual behavior and a higher number of sexual partners, thereby increasing the risk of STI and HIV transmission.

M. Jaquetta Reeves, corresponding author of the study and assistant professor at the College of Nursing and Health Innovation, University of Texas at Arlington

Let’s talk about sex

In 2022, Reeves and colleagues used an anonymous online questionnaire to survey 122 young adult college students ages 19 to 35 of both sexes in North Texas. Participants were first asked if they had ever used a dating app. They were then asked to provide information about their sexual behavior: for example, their number of partners, their attendance at university clinics, their history of STIs and their practice of sex without a condom.

Through three open-ended questions, participants were asked about sexual partners they had met through dating apps, whether in a committed relationship, as “friends with benefits” or as a couple. .

Dating app use was more common among white students (47%) than black students (12%); more common in men (64%) than in women (33%); and more common among people who identified as heterosexual (86%) than among those who identified as gay or lesbian (14%).

Analyzes revealed significant differences between participants who used dating apps and those who had never done so. For example, those who reported having more than one sexual partner in the past year were 2.2 times more likely to use dating apps than those who had only one partner, while those who reported having sex in combination with alcohol were 1.4 times more likely to use such apps. applications. Participants who reported first sex between ages 16 and 19 were 1.5 times more likely to use apps than those who reported first sex at age 20 or older.

Students who had ever been tested for HIV/STI at their campus clinic were 1.8 times more likely to use apps than those who had never been tested, while those who had ever tested positive for HIV /IST were 1.3 times more likely to use apps.

The authors found no difference in the frequency of condom use during oral and vaginal sex between those who used dating apps and those who did not. In contrast, those who reported always or often using condoms during anal sex were 1.1 times more likely to use apps than those who rarely or never used condoms during anal sex.

Behaviors that reinforce each other

In summary, Reeves et al. concluded that there was a significant positive association between the use of dating apps and engagement in risky sexual behaviors among college students. But what could be the cause of this association, and what would be its effect?

“The causality between risky sexual behaviors and dating app use likely runs both ways. Dating apps make it easier to find casual partners, which can lead to risky behaviors like irregular use Conversely, individuals who already engage in risky behaviors may turn to dating apps for safety reasons with partners who share similar practices,” Reeves suggested.

“To break this vicious cycle, sexual health interventions should focus on integrating sexual health education into apps, promoting safer sexual norms through youth campaigns, improving access to STI/HIV testing, reducing stigma around sexual health discussions, and using technology to test recalls and exposure notifications,” Reeves recommended.