Once they find a phone number is an NGO number, they block the number so the NGO cannot do it again. They have tightened monitoring of users and they don't welcome NGOs doing outreach on the Grindr networks. However, she said: "There is a barrier to collaborating with the social media. It has also tried without success to collaborate with Grindr to reach out online to young MSM who might be vulnerable after meeting partners by using the app, said Cheung. They should have it but I think there are a lot of social barriers in Hong Kong I think the government could put sex education forward with emphasis on young MSM in schools."Īids Concern runs support groups to educate young MSM - mostly in the 17 to 25 age range - about the importance of condom use and to try to encourage them to be more assertive with sexual partners over condom use. "The real problem is that schools do not encourage homosexual sex education. They feel they will be rejected if they ask for sex with a condom.
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"Young men are immature and they may not have the ability to negotiate safer sex when they have sex with an older partner. "There is no homosexual-specific sex education in Hong Kong," she said. Simon Parry / Red Door NewsĪlthough Grindr is popular worldwide, claiming more than 4 million users, its potential to help spread HIV infection in Hong Kong is exacerbated by a lack of sex education in schools, Cheung argued. Gay young men are ambivalent about the risk of contracting HIV, says Department of Health specialist Wong Ka-hing. It is much easier for them to meet, and to have sex."
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"A lot of MSM install this program and they search and find if there is an MSM nearby when they have free time. "It has become popular in the past one or two years and it is one of the factors that are contributing to the record high levels of infections. So it is much easier for them to locate a sex partner around their living district or area," explained Aids Concern spokeswoman Panda Cheung Yin-mei. "Grindr helps men locate nearby MSM who also installs the same app in their smart phone. Some Aids prevention groups believe the use of Grindr and similar Apps is playing a role in the HIV epidemic among MSM and have tried without success to engage the developers to reach out to young men at risk.
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In the April to June quarter, 131 new cases were diagnosed, the highest quarterly total since records began in 1984.ĭepartment of Health experts believe the number of infections in 2012 could exceed 500 for the first time and say the group where the virus that can lead to Aids is spreading fastest is among young gay men, known as MSM (Men who have Sex with Men). The popularity of Grindr and other gay dating Apps in Hong Kong coincides with a worrying rise in the HIV infection rate. Others on Grindr are explicit, and make it clear precisely what the person within range is seeking and that in many cases he wants a fast, no-strings-attached sexual encounter. Male-only smart phone applications like Grindr that use global positioning technology to put homosexuals in touch have taken over from saunas and bars as the favored way for a new generation of gay men to source partners.
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This is the new face of gay dating in Hong Kong. John is 25, he's single, he's looking for friends, dates and fun, he's online now and he's less than a mile away. It takes only two or three taps on the screen of a smart phone before the picture of a bare-chested young man pops up. But is technology or poor sex education at the root of the epidemic? Simon Parry and Hazel Knowles report. Simon Parry / Red Door NewsĪ boom in the popularity of gay dating Apps for smart phones has contributed to record high levels of HIV infection in Hong Kong, some Aids prevention workers believe. Popular all-male dating Apps like Grindr may be helping assist the spread of HIV among the young gay community in Hong Kong, Aids Concern believes.