Two new articles explore the ethical considerations of using dating apps as a way of communicating public and sexual health messages to users. Recently, dating app providers have worked with public health organisations to share health information with users. For example, during the monkeypox (mpox) outbreak, Grindr provided information about virus and the vaccine to users. Initiatives like this suggest that partnering with app providers has clear benefits for users. But they are not without disadvantages and public health providers must consider user privacy and safety in their choices. App providers may be partners, but they have different aims to public health providers. In addition, public health professionals need to be careful to not exacerbate existing inequalities or create new ones by choosing to communicate with people via their dating apps.
Read more:
- Why using dating apps for public health messaging is an ethical dilemma, Brian Heaphy, Jaime Garcia Iglesias and Maurice Nagington in The Conversation
- Dating apps as health allies? Examining the opportunities and challenges of dating apps as partners in public health – Jaime Garcia Iglesias, Brian Heaphy, Sharif Mowlabocus, Neta Yodovich, Maurice Nagington, Karissa Paton, Sophie Atherton and Andrea Ford, in Medical Humanities, doi: 10.1136/medhum-2024-012901.