Addicted to love? Tinder, Hinge and other dating apps encourage ‘compulsive’ use, lawsuit claims

The US lawsuit claims dating platforms like Tinder prioritise profit over promises. Photo / 123RF

Though apps have become a mainstay of modern dating, influencing everything from partner-seeking and casual sex to ghosting, some users are becoming disillusioned with the platforms. Others see them as dangerously addictive — a criticism levelled at many social media platforms — and a new lawsuit seeks to address these concerns. Tinder, Hinge and other dating apps are designed with addictive features that encourage “compulsive” use, a proposed class action lawsuit against parent company Match Group claims. The US lawsuit, filed on Valentine’s Day, says Match intentionally designs its dating platforms with game-like features that “lock users into a perpetual pay-to-play loop” prioritizing profit over promises to help users find relationships.

Stuck in a dating app loop with no date in sight? A lawsuit filed on Wednesday against Match Group claims that is by design.

Tinder, Hinge and other Match dating apps are filled with addictive features that encourage “compulsive” use, the proposed class-action lawsuit claims.

The lawsuit filed in federal court in the Northern District of California on Wednesday — Valentine’s Day — says Match intentionally designs its dating platforms with game-like features that “lock users into a perpetual pay-to-play loop” prioritising profit over promises to help users find relationships.

This, the suit claims, turns users into “addicts” who purchase ever more expensive subscriptions to access special features that promise romance and matches.

“Match’s business model depends on generating returns through the monopolization of users’ attention, and Match has guaranteed its market success by fomenting dating app addiction that drives expensive subscriptions and perpetual use,” the lawsuit says. It was filed by six dating app users and seeks class-action status.

Representatives for Dallas-based Match did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

Though it focuses on adults, the lawsuit comes as tech companies face increasing scrutiny over addictive features that harm young people’s mental health. Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, for instance, faces a lawsuit by dozens of states accusing it of contributing to the youth mental health crisis by designing features on Instagram and Facebook that addict children to its platforms.

Match’s apps, according to the lawsuit against the company, “employs recognized dopamine-manipulating product features” to turn users into “gamblers locked in a search for psychological rewards that Match makes elusive on purpose.”