Six plaintiffs from four states claim they have been personally hurt by Match Group’s “addictive” dating platforms, filing a lawsuit in the Northern District of California’s federal court on Valentine’s Day.
Match Group owns and operates Tinder, Hinge and 10 other dating sites and apps.
Four of the eight most popular dating apps in the U.S. in 2023 are run and owned by Match Group, Statista reported.
The lawsuit claims Match Group’s dating apps have altered “social reality” in the past 10 years.
They claim Match Group’s apps were designed with “addictive, game-like design features, which lock users into a perpetual pay-to-play loop that prioritizes corporate profits over its marketing promises and customers’ relationship goals.”
An eHarmony survey from February 2023 reported that 90% of dating app users believe they’re addicted to the service, and another 70% say the apps have a negative impact on their mental health.
Nearly half of users (48%) check their dating app as the last thing they do before going to sleep, and 39% say they check it first thing after waking up.
Tinder and Hinge are respectively the “6th and 18th highest grossing applications on the Apple App Store,” according to the lawsuit.
The suit claims Match Group purposefully uses “psychologically manipulative product features to drive user addiction,” adding that the company’s business model is built around the idea that “addiction drives subscriptions and perpetual use.”
Since 98% of Match Group’s revenue comes “directly from end users,” which is made off “subscriptions and in-app purchases,” the suit claims the company “harness(es) powerful technologies and hidden algorithms” to get users addicted and keep them on the apps for as long as possible.
What have people been saying?
The lawsuit included a review of Hinge left on Reddit by the username, LycanZo, who claimed they felt “guilty of the Hinge addiction syndrome.”
They said, “I just can’t let go of the fact that there might be someone behind the next swipe. I’ve only ever paid for one month of tinder plus in my life (6 bucks I think), and I’ve been on the apps for 5+ years .… Thanks for the wake up call. Yea it’s ‘your fault’ for getting addicted, but dating apps work as a whole to ensure you get addicted. Pretty similar to casino in my opinion. People who have low self control are very vulnerable.”
X user Rachel wrote, “I know the hinge/tinder lawsuit probably won’t go anywhere but I hope it does solely bc I deserve to be PAID for the EIGHT YEARS of emotional torture they’ve brought to me.”
Match Group calls the lawsuit ‘ridiculous’
The company responded to the lawsuit on Valentine’s Day, saying, “This lawsuit is ridiculous and has zero merit.”
They added, “Our business model is not based on advertising or engagement metrics. We actively strive to get people on dates every day and off our apps. Anyone who states anything else doesn’t understand the purpose and mission of our entire industry,” per The New York Post.