Gay dating app on alert after teen HIV fears
Chinese gay dating app Blued is halting new user registration for a week, after reports that underage users had contracted HIV.
Financial magazine Caixin, citing academic research, said juveniles were heavily involved in the app. Some teenagers had even hosted live streaming.
It added that many gay teenagers had unprotected sex through the app and contracted HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
Content audit
In response, Blued vowed to launch a “comprehensive content audit,” and crack down on juvenile users posing as adults and on texts, pictures and groups that involve minors.
“Blued always forbids juveniles from logging on and using the app,” it said in a statement on its verified account on Weibo.
The company added that it had enabled artificial intelligence to weed out pornographic content since last year, and vowed to further support AIDS prevention work.
Blued was launched in 2010 and now boasts 40 million registered users. Its features include verified profiles, live broadcasting, a timeline, and group conversations.
Grindr, a Los Angeles-based gay dating app well-known globally, is also owned by a Chinese company.