UK “Kissing Drought” Could Signal New Dating App Feature Needs

Recent survey findings cited by The Guardian suggest that more than a third of British adults are kissing romantically less often than they did five years ago, while nearly one in five have not been kissed in more than a year. Among 18- to 24-year-olds, concerns about making the first move, finding the right moment and lacking experience are particularly pronounced. One-third said they had avoided a kiss because they lacked confidence.

The trend comes alongside wider changes in how people socialize. Reduced nightlife, increased time spent at home and greater reliance on digital communication have limited some of the informal environments where people once met, flirted and developed relationships. The COVID-19 pandemic further disrupted those opportunities for younger daters.

Social theorist Sarah Stein Lubrano argues that the decline in kissing reflects a wider reduction in social interaction. Kissing requires people to interpret facial expressions, body language and other subtle cues, skills that may become less familiar when more communication happens digitally. Changing attitudes toward consent have also altered the dynamics around initiating physical contact – some daters say it has increased their concern about misreading a situation or making an unwanted advance.

The decline in kissing, if the survey findings reflect a broader trend, may therefore say less about the act itself than about changing social habits. Dating shifted to a heavily online format and is now beginning to shift back to real-life dates, which has left many users unsure of exactly how to approach it, especially younger singles.

For dating platforms, this creates an opportunity to reconsider their role. Rather than keeping users engaged solely within the app, platforms can increasingly act as a bridge between digital discovery and real-world interaction.

Dating apps already provide a way for people to meet beyond their immediate social circles, but features designed around lower-pressure, in-person experiences could help address some of the barriers identified by younger daters. Crucially, finding ways to either raise user confidence or add more clarity to the date – for example, ways for matches to know that they’re permitted to kiss one another by the first or second date, rather than having to take a dangerous gamble on the relationship – could have an unexpectedly massive impact on many users’ dating experiences.

Messaging can establish initial interest, but physical presence requires people to navigate conversation, body language, chemistry and boundaries in ways that cannot be replicated through a screen. Filling those gaps, or at least providing the tools to clear up uncertainties, could give many users the nudge they need to actively pursue more dates.