Smartphone apps have a big role in dating. They make it easier to find a partner. However, the two biggest dating app companies have lost $40 billion in value since 2021. This is because young people do not want to pay to use the apps. Instead, they are using free platforms like TikTok.

In 2017, a poll found that by 2040, 70 per cent of couples would meet online. However, times are changing. Younger people have less money to spend. An 18-year-old said she preferred to meet people in person. She said dating apps were "like a game". She cannot pay for the apps. She said that was a "no-no".