Is Gen Z Killing the Dating App?
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Over the past few years, there's been headline after headline saying that Gen Z isn't drinking, clubbing or having sex as much as previous generations.
Gen Z, born between 1997 and 2012, has purportedly swapped out pints for Pilates, and the self-care obsessed group seems to have become disillusioned with dating, too.
An unintended casualty? Dating apps. As Bumble lays off staff and Match Group embarks on a rebrand, Newsweek asks experts—are Gen Zers really not interested in dating, or are they just doing it differently? And what does it mean for the future of dating apps?
The Great Dating Drought
Dating apps massively altered the way people meet and connect. Pew Research Center reported in 2023 that one in 10 partnered adults met their partner on a dating site or app, rising to one in five for those aged under 30. However, that same year, an Axios survey of college and graduate students found that 79 percent of college students weren't using any dating apps.
In a 2022 nationally representative U.S. survey of 2,000 adults from the Kinsey Institute and Lovehoney, one in four Gen Z adults said they were yet to have partnered sex. And there was a gender divide, with men being more likely than women to report never having had partnered sex (one in three men vs. one in five women).
Photo-illustration by Newsweek/Getty/Canva
More recent research points to a continued decline in dating app usage. In May, the Kinsey Institute and DatingAdvice.com conducted a nationally representative survey of 2,000 single adults to examine the current dating landscape. Just 21.2 percent of Gen Z participants said that apps were their primary way of connecting, and 58 percent said they were focused on meeting in person.
Dr. Justin Lehmiller, a senior research fellow at the Kinsey Institute and host of the Sex and Psychology Podcast, worked on both pieces of research. "For a generation raised on technology, most of them don't actually seem to want to use technology to find love and prefer to find it the old-fashioned way instead," he told Newsweek over email.
This shift in desire may be driving a shift in the dating industry. Bumble, the dating app where "women make the first move," has lost 90 percent of its value since going public in 2021 and recently announced it is laying off 30 percent of its staff.
Newsweek reached out to Bumble via an online contact form for comment.
"There are a number of reasons why young adults appear to be turning away from online dating," Lehmiller said, pointing to the expense of online dating (many apps offer paid options, and going on dates can be expensive), for a generation struggling financially. Then, there's Gen Z's drive for authenticity. "One doesn't have to spend much time on a dating app to discover authenticity is often hard to come by," Lehmiller said.
Taking Romance Offline
So, are tech-raised Gen Zers really taking an analogue approach to dating?
"Gen Z is the most digitally native generation, but that doesn't mean they want more digital disconnection—they are obsessed with the idea of authenticity," content creator and matchmaker Alexis Germany Fox told Newsweek.
Fox said that Gen Z isn't interested in "endless swiping" or "surface-level bios." Beyond that, "Apps that rely solely on quick-glance attraction feel outdated to them."
In a rapidly changing tech world, dating apps have already become a bit old fashioned.
The first online dating site, Match.com was launched in 1995—before Gen Z was even born. Apps like Tinder, Hinge and Bumble came later, in 2012, 2013 and 2014 respectively. The youngest of Gen Z were born in 2012.
"Gen Z seems to think that there are only 'leftovers' on the apps, so they aren't even worth their time anymore," Fox said.
In October 2024, comedian and actor Leslie Jones said on The Drew Barrymore Show, "They just need to put all the apps on one app and call it 'What's left?'" The clip has been viewed 4 million times on TikTok, Gen Z's digital watering hole.
Newsweek spoke to Dr. Jennie Rosie, an associate professor at James Madison University and host of the Love Matters podcast. Drawing on her own research, published in the Virginia Social Science Journal and the Florida Communication Journal, she said "Gen Zers want serious, long-term relationships."
However, they "feel pressured by dismissive dating norms to adopt more casual practices." This leads to Gen Z "putting less focus on their long-term goals of life partnership."
Rae Weiss, a Gen Z dating coach, said that this generation is moving away from dating apps because swiping feels "transactional, laborious and scripted."
"The burnout from choice overload has left us craving authenticity and meaningful interaction, so we're seeking out organic ways to meet people offline," Weiss told Newsweek. "There is little incentive for genuine conversation or progressing relationships when you can always start anew.
The Dating App Reinvention
But this may not be a death knell for apps. "I don't think dating apps are going to disappear any time soon, but they will need to evolve if they want to get more young people to join," Lehmiller said.
Match Group's Spencer Rascoff, who joined as CEO earlier this year, is leading changes to the company's apps, which include Tinder and Hinge. Tinder—long associated with "hookup culture"—specifically is undergoing a rebrand to appeal more to Gen Z.
Delivering prepared remarks at Match Group's Q1 2025 earnings report, Rascoff said that to meet this generation's needs, they're "focused on building features that feel more fun and spontaneous." One such feature on Tinder includes a double date function, which has proved popular with users aged under 29.
On Hinge—the dating app "designed to be deleted" and generally known for more intentional dating—Gen Z makes up more than 50 percent of users. Hinge has released specific Gen Z dating reports, the "Your World" prompts feature and "Your Turn Limits," which require users with too many matches to either reply or end the conversation before matching with new people.
The shifts are being felt around the dating world. One platform that is both booming and bringing a Gen Z audience with it is Feeld. It is described on its website as an "inclusive dating app" aimed at people interested in ethical non-monogamy, polyamory, casual sex and the LGBTQ+ community. In the first quarter of 2025, Feeld achieved some 841,000 downloads—its highest number to date—according to Statista.
"Feeld has always been a bit different," Ashley Dos Santos, a senior communications executive at Feeld, told Newsweek.
"What we're seeing now with Gen Z especially is a broader cultural shift towards more open, intentional ways of connecting," Dos Santos said. "This generation is questioning old norms around gender, sexuality and relationships, and choosing exploration and authenticity over more rigid categories. Feeld isn't here to dictate how people should date—we're here to create safer spaces for them to define it for themselves."
Dos Santos said they've seen an 89 percent increase in Gen Zers joining Feeld in the past year. "They're leading the way in forming meaningful connections on the app, and are also the most fluid generation we've seen," she said.
Gen Z's sexual fluidity may be a key driver in Feeld's popularity. A 2024 report from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) found that nearly 30 percent of Gen Z identified as LGBTQ+. To put that number in perspective, baby boomers only identified as LGBTQ+ 4 percent of the time, while millennials identified as LGBTQ+ 16 percent of the time.
What Does the Future Hold for Dating Apps?
As Gen Z brings a new set of preferences and problems to the dating world, it's clear that a rapid evolution of apps is necessary.
"For dating apps to remain relevant, they'll need to evolve beyond the swipe," Fox said. "That might mean integrating more real-life components like curated local mixers or event partnerships and creating better in-app experiences for vibe checks."
Weiss echoed this idea, saying, "I'm also seeing Gen Z place a high value on the accountability and comfort that comes from having a friend, coworker, acquaintance or institution in common.
"For dating apps to stay relevant, they'll need to prioritize helping users move from online to in-person quickly and build community ties—by surfacing mutual connections and providing insight into community overlap, much like LinkedIn does when it shows where your networks intersect," Weiss said.
Fox added that "Gen Z isn't anti-digital, they're anti-fake. The future of dating tech must align with that."
While a world without dating apps feels unlikely, Gen Z appears to be paving the way toward a world where they are used differently. Pledge authenticity and you might get them to hit download.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
2 hours ago
- Newsweek
Local FB Group Member's 'Act of Kindness' for Woman Quickly Turns 'Dirty'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A member of a neighborhood Facebook group shared how a moment of generosity was derailed before it even began, after an unexpected response left her feeling uneasy and conflicted. Posting as MsMaggieMcGill on Reddit this week, the user said she was familiar with a woman in the group who regularly posted requests for help, often citing hospital stays and a lack of local support. Stepping In After weeks of seeing the same request for a large household item, the original poster (OP) finally decided to step in. She intended to buy the item new and have it delivered directly to the woman's home. But before she could make the offer, the woman responded to her message with something else: a request for cab fare and instructions on how to send her money. Stock image: Woman looking at phone annoyed. Stock image: Woman looking at phone annoyed. fizkes/iStock/Getty Images Plus "I felt so dirty all of a sudden," the OP wrote, "My intention to help was gone in a split second." She exited the conversation and never offered the item. Days later, she gave a large tip to a local waitress—three times the value of her bill—and said that small gesture did more to restore her sense of goodwill. "It was sweet and genuine and simple," she wrote. Meta Responds In reply to an invitation to comment, a spokesperson for Meta told Newsweek that keeping Groups safe is "a priority" and something the company continues to invest in. "We have a number of tools and resources to help admins keep their Groups safe," the spokesperson continued. "If you're a group member, you also have the ability to report Groups, posts or comments that do not follow our community standards. If you come across inauthentic behavior on Facebook, we encourage you to report it to us." Meanwhile, the thread drew support from folks online. One Reddit user quoted the familiar saying: "Give a mouse a cookie." Another person offered simple advice: "Time to block that person. Give yourself some peace." A fellow Redditor chipped in: "Anyone who's ever waited tables thanks you!" Situations like these do crop up online community groups, where the line between need and exploitation can blur. Accused of Scamming A Newsweek article earlier this year detailed the experience of a man selling a television on Facebook Marketplace who was later accused of scamming after the buyer broke the screen herself. "They called me a scammer, hurting for money, dishonest [and] said they were going to call the police on me if I didn't give them their money back," he told Newsweek. Despite offering help multiple times, he said the buyer refused and then blamed him when the TV was damaged. Online etiquette matters in these interactions, especially in Facebook buy/sell communities, which operate under informal, but rigid norms. As explained in Fashion Journal, these groups function like micro-societies, complete with lingo and unwritten codes. Breaking those norms—like appearing entitled or skipping the line of interested buyers—can damage trust and quickly get users removed. In this case, MsMaggieMcGill said she felt better directing her energy toward someone who didn't ask for anything. Her closing thought: "Helping someone is as valuable to those on the giving end as to those on the receiving end." Newsweek has contacted MsMaggieMcGill for comment via Reddit. Newsweek's "What Should I Do?" offers expert advice to readers. If you have a personal dilemma, let us know via life@ We can ask experts for advice on relationships, family, friends, money and work, and your story could be featured on WSID at Newsweek. To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, click here.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
Statistics Say Parents No Longer Read To Their Kids. Here's Why I Still Do
I remember reading Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl, to my two oldest kids — maybe they were 5 and 7 at the time. The younger of the two could easily be overwhelmed by empathy, and I could see him straining with the desire to go get a chocolate bar and give it to this child, this fictional character. To an avid reader like myself, it felt like an utter miracle to share this book and this feeling with my babies. It still does. The statistics show that parents don't read to their kids as much these days, and I can understand it — life is busy. However, this particular miracle is one we need to keep sharing. Earlier this year, The Guardian reported on a Nielsen survey in which only 40% of parents said that reading to their kids was an enjoyable activity. A similar percentage of children aged four or under are being read to regularly, with girls being read to more frequently than boys. There's a generation gap here, too — 'Gen Z parents are more likely than millennial or Gen X parents' to consider reading a chore or subject than a fun activity for kids. Parents who think of reading as a skill to master are also more likely to stop reading to their kids once the kids can read for themselves. Still, about a third of parents say they wish they had more time to read to their kids, and 44% say that reading together makes them feel closer to their kids. I still read to my kids regularly. Not quite as regularly during the summer as during the school year, and never quite as consistently as I'd like, but I still aim for at least 20 minutes several times a week for the older ones (9, 11, and 13) and multiple books daily for the 5-year-old. Sometimes my 19-year-old will join us, and once recently, my 23-year-old was visiting and even sat in! That was when we were reading Bruce Coville's My Teacher Is An Alien series. We had just finished the first three Wayside School books, by Louis Sachar, and I wanted to switch from short stories to a novel, and introduce another series I loved as a kid myself. I was so anxious about them enjoying it, and for the first couple of chapters, my kids weren't very interested — then all of a sudden it clicked, and we found that magic space where they ask for 'one more chapter' when I think we're done for the night! Then, after we'd closed the book for the night, my oldest said, 'I remember this story from when you read it to us [the two oldest kids],' and with that simple statement comes a moment of knowing that something made an impact. I didn't read to my oldest kids as much as I wish I had, but my child unknowingly just told me that the times I did read to them made an impact! It mattered! Reading kids' books can be like playing Candyland — you remember enjoying it when you were little, but now maybe it feels trite and saccharine. It doesn't have to, though! There is a near-infinite variety of books for little kids, whether you want to make them laugh by reading about canine flatulence (Walter the Farting Dog, by William Kotzwinkle), or introduce them to philosophical thinking (Big Ideas for Young Thinkers, by Jamia Wilson). If you absolutely can't stand reading another book about talking dogs and hardworking anthropomorphic trains, maybe try diving into classics like Ellen Raskin's The Westing Game and The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. (Okay, The Phantom Tollbooth does have a talking dog, but if you like wordplay, you'll love it. My younger son, 8 at the time, and not a huge fan of reading, actually took it out of my hands and demanded a turn reading aloud.) Even for younger kids, some books are engaging enough that parents can love them too. When The Gruffalo, by Julia Donaldson, arrived in our mailbox (thank you, Dolly Parton's Imagination Library), my husband and I, along with all the big kids (probably 10, 13, and 15 at the time), took turns reading it to the little boys. We immediately had to get a copy of the sequel, because honestly, the book is just so much fun. Even if you dislike every book I've listed above, there is something out there that your kids will enjoy, and that meets your interests, too! One great thing about reading to kids is that you can choose books above their reading level, as long as the subject matter is appropriate. When I was little, I'd beg my mom to read aloud when she read from her Bible at night. I certainly didn't understand much of it at the time, but being read to still feels cozy and loving. I've noticed the same with my kids. Even when I'm reading a book targeted at older readers, the kids who are too young for that particular book will still cuddle in to listen. Reading on a kid's level is important and good for them, but if you genuinely can't tolerate another read of Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown, reading to your kid from William Golding's The Princess Bride, or Lucy Maude Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables series, or A Wrinkle In Time, by Madeleine L'Engle, is also wonderful. The target, according to the Children's Reading Foundation, is 20 minutes a day. However, if you aren't hitting that target, don't consider it a failure. Reading to your kids the amount you are able is better than skipping it altogether. As I mentioned earlier, the current target in my household is 20 minutes at a time, at least 3 times a week, for my older kids. My 5-year-old is learning to read for herself right now (and I cannot laud Hooked On Phonics enough; the app is fantastic and the books they send are perfect) so we read together much more frequently. Still, even if all you can squeeze in is 20 minutes at a time on weekends, that's great too. (One of Barbara Park's Junie B. Jones' books can typically be finished in two 20-minute sessions.) The important part is that you are making reading time into a fun and bonding experience. Reading to your kids is incredibly valuable in many ways. I've raved about the connection, the joy when you and your child are both on the edge of your seat waiting to hear whether this bar of chocolate is the one with the golden ticket, or rooting for three kids to help their alien teachers save planet Earth successfully. That is an indescribable bonding sensation. However, there is also tangible evidence that reading to your children improves their language skills and sets them up for academic success. A study from the University of Ohio concluded: 'Young children whose parents read them five books a day enter kindergarten having heard about 1.4 million more words than kids who were never read to…Even kids who are read only one book a day will hear about 290,000 more words by age 5 than those who don't regularly read books with a parent or caregiver.' Experts say this prepares kids to encounter those and other words in print and build bigger and more adaptive vocabularies. These kids are also more likely to pick up reading for fun, which has further benefits. Forbes reported in 2023 on a study comparing kids who read for fun to those who do not. 'Children who start to read for fun early in life get better test scores by the time they reach adolescence…Reading for pleasure by the age of nine is also linked to better mental health, less screen time and better sleep, compared to children who start later or not at all, researchers found.' All of this is a gift we can give our kids, just by finding the time to read to them regularly!
Newsweek
14 hours ago
- Newsweek
Loyal Dog Won't Leave Shelter Without Sister—Then He Realizes Something
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Hearts melted over a distressed dog's reaction to being reunited with his other half after he originally thought he was leaving the shelter without her. The previous owners of the sibling duo, Pancho and Pancha, dumped off the dogs together at a California animal shelter. From that moment on, the two never separated. Seeing how reliant the two canines were on each other, the shelter deemed these five-month-old pups a "bonded pair." A Vet Explains Pets article stated that a bonded pair of dogs form a strong, emotional attachment to each other, often through shared experiences or living in the same household. These dogs can be siblings, a parent and offspring, or simply two canines who developed a deep connection. In a May 10 Instagram video posted to the account @ the shelter first brought Pancho out to meet his foster family, but all he could think about was his sister. He frantically kept looking back at the building, crying and waiting for her. He wouldn't "budge." Thankfully, the shelter knew he wouldn't be going without Pancha, and they brought her outside quickly after. His demeanor immediately changed. The two dogs jumped up to greet each other, with their tails wagging nonstop. They realized they were staying together. Part of the caption reads: "Now they get to thrive in foster care while they wait for forever homes!" Screenshots from a May 10 Instagram video of a dog stressing out that he was being separated from his sibling, but the bonded pair stayed together in foster care. Screenshots from a May 10 Instagram video of a dog stressing out that he was being separated from his sibling, but the bonded pair stayed together in foster care. @ While the two besties have been enjoying a break from the shelter environment—nonstop playing on the bed—they have yet to be adopted, a representative from Let's Rescue Dogs told Newsweek via Instagram. "They really need help, all the traction they can get," the representative said. "Unfortunately, they've had no adoption interest, and we would love to change that." Viewer Reactions The Instagram video amassed over 247,000 views and 26,300 likes as of Thursday. Viewers flooded the comment section with their appreciation for the rescue organization keeping the bonded pair together. "This is so stinking adorable! It's as if Pancho feels responsible to protect his sister. The loyalty of dogs. Thank you for saving them together," wrote one person. Another added: "Gosh, bonded pairs are truly remarkable. Thank you for all you do." A third person said: "This is such great news!! So wonderful that they are being kept together - such a rare opportunity for a bonded pair of shelter dogs!!!" Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@ with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
