Tinder, Grindr, Other Casual Sex Apps Blamed for Skyrocketing STD Rates

Health officials feel that the popularity of casual sex apps has resulted in a rise of sexually transmitted diseases in the US.

According to a report tabled by the Rhode Island Department of Health, the number of STD cases in state between 2013 and 2014 has gone up considerably. HIV infections went up by 33 percent, gonorrhoea by 30 percent and syphilis by 79 percent.

Health officials also feel promiscuity, drugs, alcohol and the reluctance to use condoms as other reasons for the spike in STD cases.

"New cases of HIV and syphilis continued to increase among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men at a faster rate than in other populations," the report noted, adding that "infection rates of all STDs continued to have a greater impact on the African-American, Hispanic, and young adult populations."

While the presence of high quality testing centers could have increased the number of reported cases, officials also pointed that "high-risk behaviors that have become more common in recent years," such as "using social media to arrange casual and often anonymous sexual encounters."

A few STD clinics in the country have also started asking patients about specific dating apps. Epidemiologist Lynn Beltran from a clinic in Salt Lake County said, "It's been the perfect storm. Our attitude kind of shifted, where it became more acceptable to engage in casual sex."