It’s not shocking that young people are hooking up more than ever.
We mean, there’s a reason why ‘hookup culture’ became a thing, and it’s easily facilitated via things like Tinder and Grindr.
But, most good things come at a cost.
South of the border, health officials in Rhode Island are blaming apps like Tinder and Grindr for a recent epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the state. Between 2013-2014, there was a major spike in the cases of STDs.
As in, cases of syphilis rose by 79 per cent, while gonorrhea cases rose by 30 per cent. New cases of HIV even increased by 33 per cent.
The increase predominantly affected young people.
Though health officials point out that better testing may have affected the results, they call social media the main culprit.
“High-risk behaviours include using social media to arrange casual and often anonymous sexual encounters, having sex without a condom, having multiple sex partners and having sex while under the influence of drugs or alcohol,” a press release said.
They then offer suggestions to prevent the spread of STDs – you know, the ones we’ve been familiar with since Grade 5 sex-ed. But knowing about things like condoms, dental dams, and regular STD testing doesn’t necessarily mean anything.
Of 10 single young Toronto professionals, seven admitted to having unprotected sex with someone who they weren’t in a relationship with in the last six months.
