Lawsuit against Tinder, Hinge and Match claims dating apps encourage ‘compulsive’ behavior and ‘lock users into a perpetual pay-to-play loop’

Dating apps are supposedly “designed to be deleted,” but a new class action lawsuit claims the apps are instead “designed to be addictive.”

The lawsuit, filed on Valentine’s Day against Match Group, owner of Tinder, Hinge, Match, OkCupid and Plenty of Fish, accused the company of using “psychological manipulation” such as push notifications, rewards and punishments to ensure users move right keep swiping.

The app is designed to turn users into “addicts” seduced by the game-like play-to-play loop, the lawsuit alleged, accusing Match Group of prioritizing profits over promises to help users to find love.

Match sells subscriptions to remove like limits and see who likes you, with Tinder offering the Gold package for $140 for six months or $40 for a month and the Platinum package for $50 per month or $180 for six months.

The court case claims that if users were happy with the app’s basic features, they wouldn’t have to purchase an additional subscription when they reach their like limit.

Match Group fuels users’ addiction through its content presentation format that ‘gamifies’ romance and uses push notifications to play on users’ fear of missing out on a match, while also offering incentive rewards that ‘punish users for withdrawing and compulsive rewarding users,” the lawsuit claims.

“Match continues to knowingly market an unreasonably dangerous product while failing to warn users of the risks of addiction and compulsive use,” the lawsuit said.

It added that “despite these known risks, (it) continues to argue that the platforms are effective tools for establishing relationships outside the app while implementing features to keep users on the app.”

The dating apps charge extra subscription fees so that users can have unlimited likes and see who has liked their profile

A spokesperson for Match Group told Dailymail.com: ‘This lawsuit is ridiculous and has no merit whatsoever. Our business model is not based on advertising or engagement metrics. We actively strive to get people on dates and off our apps every day.”

She added, “Anyone who says otherwise misunderstands the purpose and mission of our entire industry.”

The lawsuit claims that coercive push notifications keep people on the platform, such as Tinder’s prompt that says, “You haven’t swiped in a while.” Your profile will be hidden starting tomorrow. Now swipe to stay visible.’

These notifications act like a magnet, drawing users back to the platform to stay relevant by playing on their fear that they will be punished if they don’t use the app.

The lawsuit quoted a gambling blogger who compared addiction to dating apps to playing slot machines at a casino, saying, “The promise that the next person will be ‘the one,’ or even just the promise of something even better , is similar to the following. roll on the slots and land yourself the big (or even bigger) jackpot.’

Dating apps push notifications that play on people’s fear of missing out on love

a questionnaire conducted by dating app eHarmony found that nine in 10 singles think they are addicted to dating apps, 48 ​​percent of users admit they check their dating apps every night before going to bed and 39 percent admit to check the apps as soon as they wake up.

Nearly a third of respondents admitted to checking their dating apps while at work and 12 percent said they checked the apps while on a date.

EHarmony also found that people don’t necessarily use dating apps for positive reasons, saying that half of those surveyed were not looking for a relationship while using the app and that a quarter of people only turned to it for an ego boost was connected.

However, a 2023 survey from OnePoll/Forbes Health found that nearly 70 percent of 5,000 U.S. participants reported that meeting someone on a dating app led to a romantic, exclusive relationship, and 40 percent said dating apps have made dating easier.

The lawsuit accused dating apps of harming users’ mental health, citing a 2020 study that warned that using dating apps disproportionately increases the likelihood of “ghosting” or “breadcrumbing” — a phenomenon that occurs when messages are ignored or deleted, or when users send meaningless messages. non-binding messages.

The study found that ghosting or breadcrumbing would “significantly increase the likelihood of lower life satisfaction and increased feelings of loneliness and helplessness,” the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit comes as social media apps have been repeatedly criticized and accused of using addictive features that negatively impact users’ mental health.

In October last year a court case A filing by 33 states accused Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, of designing features that hook minors to their platforms.

Other lawsuits filed against Google and TikTok also seek to hold social media platforms accountable for their contribution to the mental health crisis among minors.

“Just as pigeons can be conditioned to peck at certain intervals, users can be conditioned to swipe endlessly,” the lawsuit says, asking the court to order Match from advertising the addictive properties of its dating apps.

The lawsuit further alleges that Match’s conduct is malicious and fraudulent and accuses the company of violating the California Consumers Legal Remedies Act, which requires companies to disclose deceptive acts or practices that entice consumers to purchase goods and/or services or to lease.

It further accuses Match Group of violating the California False Advertising Law and the Unfair Competition Law – both of which prohibit “unfair, deceptive, untrue or misleading advertising.”

The plaintiffs seek monetary relief, including punitive damages, costs of the lawsuit, attorneys’ fees, and other damages determined by the court.