Are Dating Apps Causing A Rise In STDs Among People?

"Love is just one click away", that is the essence of the online dating world today and people who have used the Internet to find partners will surely agree!

As we know, today, the world relies heavily on the Internet, not just for entertainment, but for other important daily activities such as work, paying bills, ordering groceries and other essential items, booking cabs, booking appointment at hospitals and so on.

In addition, the power of the Internet has made interpersonal communication so easy! People living in opposite ends of the globe can connect instantly and talk to each other and make video calls, mostly free of cost!

So, when most of the essential life activities are moving to the online world, even finding love or finding partners is yet another activity that has taken a leap into the online world and it has become an instant hit among people.

Today, most people have busy schedules with their demanding jobs, leaving them little time to go out in the world to socialise and meet people organically.

So, it is much easier for many people to just swipe through thousands of profiles of potential matches online and find partners right at their fingertips, through dating apps!

In addition, looking for romantic partners on the dating apps makes it easier for people to get to know a person before meeting them in person, as their likes, interests, dislikes, etc., are usually listed out on their profiles on most dating apps and people can choose partners who they feel would be the most compatible.

So, most people these days, especially people between the ages of 18-45 are extensively using dating apps to find partners.

Statistics have shown that most people in the above-mentioned age group have found multiple partners through dating apps.

Now, people use dating apps for various purposes depending on their personal choices.

While some people use it to find life partners who want to be in monogamous relationships, others use the dating apps to look for temporary flings or multiple sexual partners.

In fact, there are a number of dating apps which are specifically used only to find multiple sexual partners and casual sex.

Many people today feel that casual sex is easier, as it does not involve long-term commitment and responsibilities.

While that is completely alright, when both partners are consenting to it, there is a negative side to this - sexually transmitted diseases.

Yes, having multiple sexual partners increase the risk of developing sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) drastically.

So, have dating sites contributed to the rise in STD rate among people? Let us find out.

What Are STDs and STIs?

STDs and STIs are diseases spread from one person to another, during sexual intercourse. Usually, these diseases are spread through bacteria and viruses.
STDs and STIs are not just limited to penetrative sex, where the penis is inserted into the vagina and seminal fluid is ejaculated inside the vagina.

There are a number of STDs and STIs which can be transmitted even by kissing, oral sex, anal sex or even just coming in skin contact with genital fluids from the infected person, so in such cases, condoms may not be of much help!

In fact, one of the deadliest diseases in the world with no cure, AIDS, is an STD!

Some of the other common STDs are genital herpes, chlamydia, syphilis, gonorrhoea, yeast infection, etc.

STDs, if not life-threatening, can still cause a number of dangerous symptoms and affect your life and health!

How Do Dating Apps Increase STDs?

Recently, a report by the National Coalition of STD Directors has stated that since 2014, they have noticed a significant rise in sexually transmitted diseases and infections among dating app users.

In fact, statistics have shown that there is a whopping 59% rise in STDs, especially syphilis in people using various dating apps, globally.

Experts opine that this could be due to the fact that people using dating apps have easier access to a number of sexual partners and they tend to engage in casual sexual encounters with people they do not know well.

Many people, especially youngsters tend to not use condoms during sexual encounters with strangers they have met through dating apps and there are a number of STDs which can affect people even with condoms on.

In addition, having sexual intercourse with a number of different people can also be highly dangerous for health, in terms of STDs.

So, the dating app culture has definitely increased the rate of sexually transmitted diseases among people.

One of the few ways to prevent it is to get yourself and your partner tested before engaging in intercourse.