By Nicole Esan, News Correspondent

Online dating has become more and more popular among adolescents, but how well does one really know who is on the other side of the screen?

Hula, a new iPhone app and website, helps users find the best STD centers to get tested and share those verified results privately with others.

In January, a former Lindenwood University student, Michael Johnson, allegedly filmed himself having unprotected sex with about 30 partners without disclosing that he was HIV positive, according to CBS News. The app is an effort to open conversation about STDs, according to its press release.

“This case highlights a public health problem that is ongoing and complicated by social media and online dating,” Ramin Bastani, the founder and CEO of Hula, said in his press release of the application. “If you are dating at all, it’s very simple – you should make it your priority to use Hula to find a location to get tested and then get your results verified.”

The app is called Hula because it helps “get you lei’d,” according to its developers. The app provides names, addresses and other information about local STD testing services, and collects the results in one place. The app also lets users review STD testing centers about their experiences.

Users cannot upload their own STD results – they must come directly from the health care provider. The company’s mission is to help people make better health decisions by giving them accurate information at their fingertips, something that other students say could be helpful.

“I know I had to go online and look for testing centers and it was kind of complicated,” Yian Pan, a first year international business major, said. “This app sounds like it can help people to get tested more frequently and more easily.”

Currently offering its services for free with hopes to eventually be able to turn a profit, Hula’s developers are searching for ways to expand the uses of the app to make further inroads into preventing STDs. Part of this effort involves working with the Los Angeles Unified School District to promote STD testing and safe sex.

“It is terrifying to think people out there on these dating sites could be infected and not even know it, “ said third year finance and entrepreneurship major Carlos Villalobos. “I have plenty of friends who have signed up for dating websites that have gone to meet people they’ve met online. It’s comforting to know that resources like this exist and those dating online should take advantage of it.”

Hula will soon include user reviews of providers, including the ones that don’t provide patient records upon request. These requests sent from Hula users will ask for records to be provided within five days.

“Our free app and website makes STD testing easier by using technology to empower people to make better decisions and have fun,” said Bastani in the app’s press release.