Correspondence on "Dating apps as health allies? Examining the opportunities and challenges of dating apps as partners in public health" by Garcia-Iglesias et al.

Abstract

For public health, any partnership with the private sector raises ethical issues. While programmes to prevent HIV and STI (sexually transmitted infections) have focused on understanding the priorities and cultural mores of diverse communities, they need to develop a similar understanding of how private businesses work. In this commentary, we identify our successes, and challenges, in building ongoing collaborations with dating apps in order to reduce HIV/STI transmission among their users. We have conducted multiple surveys to determine which strategies are most likely to be accepted by both dating app owners and users, and which of those strategies public health experts believe will have the greatest benefit. This research has helped us prioritise strategies to bring to app owners. We have made significant progress in seeing apps and users adopt many of these strategies, particularly in developing optional personal profile fields which allow users to exchange information and make informed choices about their sexual health strategies. Our efforts have also helped apps implement tools to reduce stigmatisation among their users.