UK Daters Shift Gears to “Meet Cute” Dating, Reports OFCOM

The UK’s most popular dating apps are experiencing a drop in user numbers as younger generations gravitate toward offline interactions for finding romantic connections. A recent report from the UK’s communications watchdog, Ofcom, highlights that platforms like Tinder, Hinge, Bumble, and Grindr have seen noticeable declines in usage over the past year – especially within the UK.

Tinder, the largest player, has lost 600,000 users since 2023, while Hinge has shed 131,000 users. Bumble and Grindr have also reported decreases of 368,000 and 11,000 users, respectively. Despite these shifts, dating platforms still attracted nearly 5 million UK adults in May 2024, consistent with 2023 levels. However, Ofcom attributes the slight overall decline to changing habits among Gen Z, who are prioritizing real-world encounters over app-based dating.

This trend aligns with growing interest in the so-called “meet cute,” a romanticized idea of spontaneous, in-person meetings. Luke Brunning, a researcher at the University of Leeds studying online dating ethics, noted that while Gen Z still uses apps, they are increasingly supplementing them with in-person interactions. Many young users now view dating apps as one of several tools for meeting people, rather than the primary method.

Match Group, Tinder’s parent company, has acknowledged these challenges, stating that Gen Z users are looking for “lower-pressure, more authentic” experiences. Despite the decline, dating services remain popular with younger adults, with 18% of 18- to 24-year-olds and 25- to 34-year-olds using them.

Notably, niche platforms like Sniffies and Scruff have emerged as new contenders in the UK’s top 10 dating apps, presumably because they’re switching up the regular dating formula. Like many recent shifts in user behaviour, this might be a sign of users seeking unconventional and authentic dating experiences that shake up the usual swipe-heavy system of most popular online dating platforms.