According to Ofcom's latest research, Britain’s love affair with dating apps may be cooling off.

Are We Falling Out of Love with Dating Apps?

According to Ofcom's latest research, Britain’s love affair with dating apps may be cooling off.

The study reveals significant drops in user numbers across major platforms. Hinge has lost 131,000 UK users since 2023, while Tinder has seen a staggering 600,000 leave.

Bumble and Grindr have also experienced declines, with 368,000 and 11,000 fewer users, respectively.

Why the Shift?
Match Group, the parent company of Tinder, suggests Gen Z (those born between 1997 and 2012) are seeking “a lower-pressure, more authentic way to find connections.” Or, as Marie Le Conte put it in The Sunday Times, “After years spent getting ghosted, catfished, and generally treated as disposable, young people are now ready to stop swiping.”

As someone who, following my divorce, ventured into online dating in my 50s, I can relate. While the generational context is different, the challenges of online dating remain strikingly similar.

When I first tried online dating, it felt alien. My generation met partners in bars, nightclubs, at parties, weddings, or through work. The internet was still in its infancy when we were younger, and online dating hadn’t been invented.

Despite the initial awkwardness, I dove in, and quite early on I attracted a kind and funny boyfriend.

However, I ended the relationship when it became clear the chemistry wasn’t right.

Then, like many others, I encountered the less pleasant side of online dating: ghosting, "icing," and "simmering."

As a therapist and former marketer, I began to see a pattern rooted in our culture of consumerism. With so many options at our fingertips, dating has become a paradox of choice.

We find ourselves constantly asking: Is this the one? Could there be someone better? How can I be sure?

This mindset can feel like playing an endless round of Deal or No Deal. Should you settle for what’s in front of you, or hold out for a potentially better “deal” hiding in one of the unopened boxes?

What also struck me is how we’ve become conditioned to expect the instant gratification of success in other online experiences—whether it’s the dopamine hit of winning a computer game, snagging a sought-after item at an online auction, or even the seamless control we have over digital interactions.

Real life, however, doesn’t work that way. Human relationships are messy, unpredictable, and require vulnerability, compromise, and patience. Unlike a computer game, there’s no guarantee of “winning” if you just keep trying.

The unpredictability of real connection is both its challenge and its beauty.

Understanding this is cathartic. It helped me stop blaming myself or doubting the process.

Instead, I recognised that finding a close, loving relationship wasn’t guaranteed, at least not in that moment and that life shouldn’t stop while you wait for love.

Happiness isn’t something that hinges on meeting “the one”; it’s a choice we make every day. As John Lennon wisely said, “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.”

Ironically, it was when I learned to love myself and live life to the full that I found love again—with my now partner of six years

So, whether you’re swiping left, swiping right, or stepping away from dating apps entirely, remember to love yourself first.

Live fully, and let happiness accompany you on the ride.