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People value personal digital sexual health advice (e.g. text messages, online agony aunts), but this is resource intensive if offered by health professionals. Answers to common questions could easily be automated (e.g. worries about penis size or function, advice following unprotected sex). Chatbots for sexual health advice could provide rapid responses, be engaging and have a personalised feel, whilst still being private and confidential. However, it is very important not to overlook safeguarding and vulnerability issues such as intimate partner violence or sexual exploitation.
Important research questions include:
- How feasible and acceptable is automated sexual health advice?
- User views and experiences of bots for sexual health
- What impact could there be on health inequalities?