STDs Are Spreading Because of Tinder, Rhode Island Says

The state has seen a 79 percent increase in syphilis.

You may be rejoicing the wild world of rando hookups Tinder and Grindr have opened up in recent years, but the Rhode Island Department of Health is here to let you know your right swipes have consequences. The state's DOH reports a 30 percent increase in gonorrhea and a 79 percent rise in syphilis​ from 2013 to 2014. And social media is (partially) to blame. 

Although the department cites better testing as a cause of the higher figures, it says high-risk behavior "including using social media to arrange casual and often anonymous sexual encounters" has contributed to the rise in STDs. Of course, the usual suspects of "having sex without a condom, having multiple sex partners, and having sex while under the influence of drugs or alcohol" are also part of the problem. 

The lesson here should be simple: Don't get all reckless with your fun parts and another person's fun parts, whether you've met them IRL or in the digital hustle. Apparently that's not as obvious as we would have thought. 

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