Studies

A new study by eHarmony found that a whopping 90 percent of singles in the U.K. believe they are addicted to dating apps, with as many as 70 percent feeling depressed or anxious after using them.

According to the researchers, almost half (48 percent) said they check their apps as the last thing before going to bed, and roughly 39 percent said they check their dating apps first thing when they wake up. Nearly a third said they check them while at work (with 31 percent of men admitting to this compared to 25 percent of women), and 12 percent admitted to checking their dating apps while on a date.

Researchers also found that 55 percent of U.K. singles believe they spend too much time on dating apps, with an average of 55 minutes per person per day. eHarmony deduced that the average person is having about 6 conversations at any given time, and 8 percent might have as many as 15 conversations at once.

A new Pew study has found that over half of dating app users (53 percent) said that their experiences have been at least somewhat positive, including 14 percent who said they had very positive experiences. About 46 percent say their experiences on dating apps have been at least somewhat negative, showing the dating population is divided on how well the platforms are working for them.

While 53 percent shows that more than half of daters have had positive experiences, dating apps have a long way to go in satisfying their customer base, as some users reported facing harassment or scams, according to the report. Peoples’ experiences also vary by race, gender and ethnicity, as well as household income and sexual orientation.

Pew reported that 57 percent of men report positive experiences compared to 48 percent of women, and 61 percent of LGB users have had positive experiences compared to only 53 percent of straight users.

Image: Tinder

Tinder announced the launch of its latest safety feature to address abuse over the app, dubbed “House Rules.”

Tinder users must agree to the list of house rules outlined in a 20-page safety guide before they can download the service. The guide highlights the app’s safety features, including photo verification, how to report and block abusive users, according to News.com Australia.

The guide also provides tips for dating in person, including advice to Tinder users to schedule a video call beforehand to “get a vibe for the other person” according to Global Dating Insights. It also provides tips like sharing details and location of the date with friends or family beforehand, and keeping track of drinks to avoid spiking.

Image: Bumble & Netflix

Dating app Bumble has teamed up with leading streaming service Netflix to launch a game that is themed around some of its most popular shows, including Emily in Paris, Squid Game, Selling Sunset, and Stranger Things, among others.

According to Netflix’s blog post, the new game called Netflix Nights In will challenge matches to find out how deep their knowledge goes about their favorite shows by answering questions like: “How much was Davina’s infamous listing in Selling Sunset?” In a twist, the game requires matches to answer the question before responses are revealed, and both will be able to see their compatibility based on their answers.

Stars from fan favorites like Ashley Park from Emily in Paris or Jonathan Daviss from Outer Banks will present new questions each week in the app, according to Netflix.

Executives from dating app companies operating in Australia have been called by the country’s officials to meet and discuss how to address safety concerns and the high rates of assault on their platforms.

According to Epoch Times, the talks will take place in early 2023, and focus on both legislative and security measures to address the problem. This comes in the wake of the Australian government’s move to allow its eSafety Commission to “regulate illegal and restricted content no matter where it’s hosted including on online app distribution services and search engines.”

The push for action come about because of a report released in October by the Australian Institute of Criminology, according to the Epoch Times, in which a jaw-dropping 75 percent of respondents said they had been subjected to some type of sexual violence via dating apps over the past five years. Researchers also found that a third experienced abuse from someone they met online dating, which included “sexual assault or coercion, reproductive and sexual-health-related abuse and in-person image-based sexual abuse.”

OkCupid recently surveyed its users regarding their attitudes about dating going into 2023, finding that singles are more interested in open relationships and discussions about sex.

OkCupid had nearly 10 billion responses to matching questions in 2022 which revealed what singles will be looking for in 2023.

In addition to the pandemic’s impact on dating habits in general, younger daters are driving conversation around mental health, sober dating, and attitudes towards relationships and sex, according to OkCupid’s blog. Open relationships have been around for a while, but now young daters are challenging the stigma that has always been attached to them. Over the summer, OkCupid found that there was a 26 percent increase in mentions of “ENM” or “ethical non-monogamy” compared to the beginning of 2022, and a 42 percent increase compared to last summer.

Attitudes towards open relationships have shifted globally – with 30 percent of OkCupid users saying they would be interested in an open relationship (about 8.5 million singles), with Gen Z and Millennial daters being the most interested in ENM. The numbers are highest among European daters, with 49 percent of singles in Spain saying they would consider an open relationship, 46 percent in Switzerland, 40 percent in the Netherlands, 39 percent in Germany, and 37 percent in Italy. Brazil, Australia, and Canada had 35 percent, 34 percent and 31 percent of users interested in open relationships, respectively.