Dating apps aren't just for finding love or having sex. They're becoming increasingly important in communicating public health messages, especially those related to sexual health.
In 2023, the Harvard Journal of Public Health reported that dating apps were ” [sexually infectious diseases] Their predictions appear to be poised to bear fruit. For example, Grindr, a popular dating app for men who have sex with men, recently partnered with MPOWER in Ireland and The Love Tank in London to allow users to order HIV testing kits through the app. While these partnerships are promising for public health, they also raise important ethical challenges. Together with colleagues in the UK and US, we published a discussion of these challenges and proposals for how to address them.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, more people than ever before have started using dating apps. Apps like Tinder, Match, and Grindr now have millions of users worldwide. A recent Pew survey in the United States found that more than half of people under the age of 30 have used a dating app. Most dating apps can be accessed on a smartphone and allow users to find others based on common interests, preferences, or location.
A recent systematic review concluded that apps offer a range of public health benefits, including the ability to effectively target specific groups. In the US, Building Healthy Online Communities is a successful example of partnering with dating apps to promote sexual health, and during the recent monkeypox (MPOX) outbreak, Grindr provided users with information about the virus and vaccines.
Interest, Privacy, and Prejudice
However, most apps generate corporate profits and operate in a completely different ethical and regulatory context than medical and health-related professions. Privacy is one of the major concerns, as apps collect vast amounts of personal data. Cybersecurity experts claim that apps are a “security and privacy minefield” because their primary purpose is to “generate, capture, and control user data” for profit.
Unfortunately, there are many examples of apps mishandling data. For example, Grindr was fined for sharing sensitive user data, including users' HIV status, with third parties. Misuse of such data can have serious consequences, including exposing people in unsafe environments.
Dating apps can also replicate prejudice and discrimination that is prevalent in society at large. Studies have shown that many users, especially those from marginalized groups, experience racism, ableism, and other forms of harassment on these platforms. A 2019 study of dating app experiences among LGBTQ men living in rural areas of the US found that online dating often leads to “deception, bullying, discrimination, harassment, and coercion.”
Some apps, such as Grindr, have removed the option for users to filter by race, while others are designed with features that allow, if not encourage, discrimination. Discriminatory experiences erode users' trust in dating apps, making marginalized groups hesitant to use the apps. This also means that marginalized groups are less likely to access public health information and support through dating apps.
Some dating apps operate with unclear policies: Grindr and Tinder, for example, can suspend users' accounts for any reason and without notice, and some public health agencies that used apps to disseminate information have had their profiles blocked on some apps.
Any future collaborations with apps will need to prioritise user interests over app business, develop transparent data policies that prevent user data from being shared for commercial purposes, provide assurances about the app's anti-discrimination and anti-harassment commitments, and provide links to health and wellbeing services beyond the app.
Dating apps have the potential to be powerful public health allies, especially in reaching previously ignored populations, but their use must be carefully managed so as not to undermine users' privacy, safety, or marginalization.
