A recent study published in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections concludes that gay and bisexual men who use smartphone apps to search for people to have sex with are at higher risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
The study, based on questionnaires carried out since 2011 at the LGBT Center in Los Angeles (USA), analyzed the responses of 7,184 men regarding the use of the most used applications among the gay and bisexual community , such as Grinr (which has more than 6 million users worldwide) and Scruff , who rely on the use of the GPS function of current mobiles to find close people with similar interests, and compared them with the rates of sexually transmitted infections.
The results revealed that men who used these apps (who accounted for 17%) were more likely to be diagnosed with gonorrhea or chlamydia than those who met their sexual partners by the traditional method. Specifically, men who used the apps to meet other men were 25% more likely to have been infected with gonorrhea .
“It is difficult to determine why application users may be more likely to be infected with certain STIs. It is not about demonizing these technologies , but we must take them into account, ”says Matthew Beymer, lead author of the study.
