Users Ditching Digital Love for Real-Life Connections
Dating apps are in freefall as disillusioned users abandon them in droves, fed up with empty connections, financial strain, and emotional burnout.
In Australia, lawsuits and new regulations are tightening the screws on an industry already grappling with plummeting profits.
Take Anne*, 31, who quit Hinge after months of draining first dates that felt “as transactional as real estate.” Between rising costs and the emotional toll of endless swiping, she realized, “I can’t do both—house hunting and dating.”
She’s not alone. Match Group (Tinder, Hinge) and Bumble have seen stocks nosedive as paying users flee.
Even eHarmony faces backlash—like John*, 51, who couldn’t delete his profile due to a “pending legal matter,” leaving his sensitive data locked in limbo.
With new regulations rolling in and users reporting alarming rates of harassment, the apps’ golden age may be over. As Anne puts it: “There’s no actual human connection.”
Now, she’s trading swipes for salsa lessons—“At least it’s not a complete waste of money.”
*Names changed for privacy.
