UN links dating apps to growing HIV-rates among teenagers

When you throw an 80’s party, everybody breaks out the denim and the “Frankie Says Relax” t-shirts, but what nobody really wants to think about is the terrifying HIV epidemic that ravaged that decade. Since then, HIV rates have been in steady global decline, but it looks like a similar outbreak is occurring again, this time reportedly facilitated by smartphones.

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According to a two-years long study by the United Nations, a new HIV epidemic is currently going on among teenagers in the Asia-Pacific region, a part of the world where more than half of all people in the 10-19 age range now live. The problem is especially bad in regions with strong social stigmas against premarital sex, those lacking sexual education programs, and those possessing harsh views of homosexuality.

Although teenagers of all sexual orientations are at risk, the epidemic is hitting gay youths even harder. To make matters worse for the gay teen population, these individuals are far less likely to seek out medical attention because doing so would require them to come out of the closet to their relatives. In areas where stigmas against homosexuality are particularly powerful, this is putting sick kids between a rock and a hard place.

The origin of the epidemic seems to stem from decades-long sexual repression in the area that made casual sex nearly impossible and meeting new people with similar sexual interests incredibly difficult. The rise of dating apps like Tinder and Grindr have let interested parties discreetly contact each other, and suddenly teenagers are free to have a lot more sex. Sadly, the sexual revolution going on in the area is stunted by lackluster sexual education and social attitudes that make prohibit reaching out for help or even getting tested (many countries in the area prohibit teens from getting an HIV test without a parent’s permission).

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All of this works together to fuel the proliferation of HIV at an alarming rate. The number of teens known to be infected with HIV in the Asia-Pacific region is more than 220,000, and Unicef says that they believe the actual number of HIV-positive 10-19 year-olds to be significantly higher, since many are too frightened or under-educated to seek testing or medical help.

Bangkok’s initial reaction to the epidemic was to work with app developers and charities to produce pop-up ads in apps to encourage teens to seek HIV testing. The plan has not been effective, and the UN is advocating a region-wide overhaul in sexual education to fight this mounting problem.

What are your thoughts on this development? Let us know in the comments.

VIVO X6 and X6 Plus officially announced in China

Earlier today at the Beijing National Aquatics Center, VIVO unveiled two new smartphones that will be of great interest to those who place priority on solid specs, metal bodies, and Super AMOLED displays: the VIVO X6 and the VIVO X6 Plus. Earlier this November, the new product line had been teased by the Chinese OEM, and more recently one of the two had been sighted taking a certification stroll through China’s TENAA.

The VIVO X6 has a 5.2-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display, a 1.7GHz MediaTek MT6752 Octa Core SoC with Mali T760 graphics, 4GB of RAM, 32GB of on-board storage, a 13-megapixel rear camera and 8-megapixel front camera, microSD support, a fingerprint sensor, a 2,400 mAh battery, 4G LTE, and Dual SIM support. It measures 147.9 x 73.8 x 6.6 mm and weighs 135 grams. The X6 Plus runs VIVO’s own Funtouch OS layered above an Android 5.1 base.

The VIVO X6 Plus has a 5.7-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display, a a 1.7GHz MediaTek MT6752 Octa Core SoC with Mali T760 graphics, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of on-board storage, a 13-megapixel rear camera and 8-megapixel front camera, microSD support, a fingerprint sensor, a 3000 mAh battery, 4G LTE, and Dual SIM support. It has ES9028 and Yamaha YSS-205X Hi-Fi Audio as well. The X6 Plus runs VIVO’s own Funtouch OS layered above an Android 5.1 base.

While the phones have slightly different specs, both are made of an aluminum-magnesium alloy which the company indicates takes 57 different steps to produce, including laser engraving and polishing by hand. Each has a fingerprint sensor that VIVO claims will read 360 degrees and unlock the device in 0.4 seconds.

With respect to photography, the rear camera on both the VIVO X6 and VIVO X6 Plus have Phase Detection Auto-Focus, HDR, and a f 2.2 aperture lens.

VIVO’s official site for the pair of phones specifically calls the display “Super AMOLED” which is Samsung’s branding for the EL technology. To this end it can be assumed Samsung has, therefore, supplied the panels.

Both phones will be released on December 7th. The VIVO X6 will cost 2,600 Yuan full retail (roughly $406 US) or 2,500 Yuan (roughly $390 US) on contract with China Unicom. The VIVO X6 Plus will cost 3,200 Yuan (approximately $500 US) full retail, or 3,000 Yuan (approximately $470) on contract with China Unicom.

The pair of smartphones will be sold in a Silver color variant, a Gold color variant, and a Rose (Pink) color variant.

Rumor Control

It should be noted that the final specs clearly differ from the rumors that had been floating around, and do so rather significantly. While Vivo itself had confirmed that the inclusion of 4GB of RAM, the full specs had previously been unknown. Some had suggested the device would come with a QHD 6-inch display with curved glass, a Deca-Core MediaTek Helio X20 64-Bit SoC, a 21-megapixel rear camera and a 12-megapixel front camera.

This serves as a reminder, once again, that rumors need to be taken for what they are, and that one need not get too wrapped up in any which one so as to ultimately avoid being disappointed.

Wrap Up

With the VIVO X6 and VIVO X6 Plus now official, we would love to hear your thoughts on this promising pair of new products out of China. Could one (or both) become your next purchase? Let us know in the comments below!