Lawsuit claims Tinder, Hinge apps make users addicted to finding love

Valentine's Day brought about a lawsuit for the matchmaking apps.

Feb 16, 2024 - 00:30

0 8

Lawsuit claims Tinder, Hinge apps make users addicted to finding love

Valentine's Day may have been a day for love, but it marked the day one of the leading matchmakers was thrown a lawsuit.

A class action lawsuit was filed against Match Group, the company that owns dating apps such as Tinder, Hinge, and The League, for a "predatory" business model, according to report by Reuters.

The lawsuit was filed by six different plaintiffs in California, Florida, Georgia and New York who site the apps are "addictive" due to "gamified" experience. The allegations say that Match Group has violated California's False Advertising Law, Georig'a Deceptive Trade Practice Law, and Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.

This also targets the slogan of Hinge which is "designed to be deleted."

"Match has designed, developed, and advertised psychologically manipulative product features to drive user addiction," according to the lawsuit obtained by PCMag.

The plaintiffs allege that the paid subscriptions, which are the primary way these apps are able to monetize, "further enable compulsive use."

Match rejected the claims in a statement to Reuters, calling it "ridiculous."

"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."

The online dating industry has boomed lately as stigma has died down about meeting partners online. According to a Pew Research study done in 2022 and published in February 2023, 10% of partnered adults in the U.S. met through a dating app or website.

Original Post