Blame Tinder, Grindr for the rise in sexually transmitted diseases? Not so fast

When AlbertaHealth Servicessuggestedanoutbreak in sexually transmitted diseasescan be blamed on so-called hookup apps, it was onlyrepeating claims made recently by health officials in other jurisdictions.

Health department officials in some U.S. states, such as Rhode Island, haveblamed the rise of sexually transmitted diseases onsocial media toolslike Tinder andGrindr, which allow users to search for potentialpartners with the simple swipe of a screen. British health officials have also blamed these apps for increasing the rates of infection.

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Last year, the U.S. Aids Healthcare Foundationtook it a step further, putting up billboards across Los Angeles showing two pairs ofsilhouettedfigures face to face. The figure labelled "Tinder" faces "chlamydia," and "Grindr" faces "gonorrhea."

Tinder senta cease and desist letter to the organization, but they settled their feud after the app added a feature to locate sexually transmitted disease clinics.

Yetdespite allthe finger-pointing at these social media dating tools,some researchers say there just hasn'tbeen enough research done to prove a link between these apps andthe rise of sexually transmitted infections.

"It'svery easy for policy-makers and other public health officials to make these broad statements about theappsbeing the reason thatSTIsare spiking," said IanHolloway, assistant professor of social welfare at UCLA who has done research into these issues."But we don't really have data to support that.

"We don'tknow ifappsare driving these epidemiological trends."

Theappsobviously facilitatemeeting, he said,and for those interested in having sex with a lot of people, theywould be a logical place to look.However, there arein-person venues, like bars, where some are also just looking to have sex.

"So there's a big question in my mind about whether these [app]contextsare any more or less risky than those in-person venues," Holloway said.

On Tuesday, Alberta health officials revealed they recorded3,400cases ofgonorrhea in 2015,up 80 per cent from 2014. And there were more than 350cases of infectious syphilis in 2015,doubling the amountof2014.

"Ourclinicians have told us loud and clear that they are hearing from patients that social media has enabled easier and more frequent casual hookups,"Dr. Gerry Predy, Alberta Health Servicesmedicalofficer of health, said in a statement to CBC News.

"We have always known that casual hookups are more likely to contribute to increased rates ofSTI transmission.To the extent that social media could be enabling these hookups to occur more often/frequently, social media would also be contributing to theSTI rate increases we are seeing."

Predy said epidemiological work completed by thePublic Health Agency of Canada inAlberta found that confirmedcases of sexually transmitted diseases studiedin 2015 included a significant volume of social media and online hookup sites.

For example, he said,of the cases of gonorrheaconfirmed in the Edmonton Zone in 2015, the use of apps andwebsiteswas the most frequently mentioned method of meeting sexual partners.

Association vs. causation

But to reallyprove a linkwould take asophisticatedlongitudinalstudy, one that wouldparse out what new infections could be attributed to these partner-seeking apps, Holloway said.

Hecited one recent study involving gay men in Los Angeles that found a correlation between app use and sexually risky behaviour. But it's unclear, at least from that study,whether those who are engaged in that kind of behaviour are more likely to use those kinds of apps.

David Brennan, a University of Torontoassociate professor of social work,acknowledged that more people are using hookupappsat the same time rates for sexually transmitted diseasesare going up.

"So it's kind of easy to say they fit together," he said."But if you goback to your basicstatistics, you haveto look at association versuscausation."

For someone who is going to engage in sexual contact with someone else without protection, "the app is notgoingto make a difference in that,"Brennansaid."It' s notgoingto matter how you connect up with someone."

He said what's needed is a specific study that examines "peoplewho are not using the phones andpeoplewho areusing the phones and see if their sex life changesovera period of time."

There is a certain efficiency to hookup appsthat might increase how often people connect, he said.

"Butis that because ofthe app or becausethat's a person who enjoys havinga lot of sex?And if theydidn't have the app, they might still be having a lotof sex with other people."

Whileit's certainly possiblehookupapps are playing a role in the increase of these infections, there are other factors to consider.

Better reporting and increased public awareness about sexually transmitted diseases may be encouraging more people to get tested, bumping up the numbers, said Holloway.

With HIV a treatable virus, Brennan said some may engage in "treatment optimism" and bemore casual about protection and less worried about infectionsbecause they believe they can be treated for all potential sexually transmitted diseases.

"There arethings thatdrive STI rates," Brennansaid."I'm not really sure that they have anything to do with phones."