Almost 80 Percent of Gen Z and Millennials Report Dating App Fatigue

A new survey from Forbes Health has revealed that a whopping 80 percent of Gen Z and Millennial respondents said they are burned out from dating apps.

Forbes surveyed 1,000 singles over eighteen years old who had used a dating app in the past year and found that 40 percent of people feel burned out because they have been unable to find a good connection with someone on an app. Meanwhile, 35 percent say it’s due to being disappointed by people, and 27 percent say it’s because they have been rejected.

Interestingly, twenty-four percent say they feel burned out because of having repetitive conversations with many matches at once, 22 percent say it’s due to swiping, and 21 percent say it’s from all the time they spend on the apps, according to Forbes.

In addition, 20 percent of respondents said they feel pressure to appear a certain way to their potential matches and 18 percent say they feel tired of maintaining their profiles on multiple dating apps.

On average, respondents reported spending about 51 minutes per day on dating apps. And while dating app companies want to see people engaging on their platforms, experts warn that the swiping and other features can be addictive, and that people feel worse the longer they stay on the apps.

Dr. Rufus Tony Spann, a certified sex therapist and member of Forbes Health Advisory Board said: “Those spending the most time on dating apps most likely include individuals addicted to swiping, those seeking a social and/or emotional outlet as a form of distraction and people looking for an ego boost.”

Gen Z and Millennials spend the most time on dating apps, and females spend more time than men on them, according to Forbes. The top three apps used among respondents were Tinder (49 percent) , Plenty of Fish (38 percent) and Bumble (29 percent), and most respondents used more than one app.

Researcher Dr. Judy Ho adds that there is a sense of competition among dating app users, and this can lead to spending more time on the apps and then burning out.  “…I think sometimes people can feel very expendable when they are on an app and also there is an inherent competition that underlies everything (does my date like someone else more than me, who else are they going out with?, etc.),” said Dr. Ho.

“People who experience burnout with dating apps are exhausted from constantly meeting new people, failing opportunities and lies,” says Dr. Spann. “Over time, the unfortunate misgivings of being on a dating app can cause someone to lose hope in the dating process and finding the right person.”

The study was commissioned by Forbes Health and conducted by market research company OnePoll. Data was collected from March 27 to April 1, 2024.