Why More People Are Quitting Dating Apps for Real-Life Connections

Are you still on dating apps?

Maybe it’s time to try something different…

Recently, my daughter told me something that genuinely made me happy: young people seem to be slowly turning away from dating apps. Instead, they’re organizing themselves into WhatsApp groups around social activities where romance can naturally happen—but isn’t the direct goal. These groups are built around interests: there’s one for people who love cooking, one for running, archery, and so on. But from what I understand, the “cooking groups” sometimes end up organizing archery afternoons too. It just depends on what the group feels like doing. And honestly? I think that’s a great development.

THE RISE OF DATING APPS — AND THE STIGMA THAT USED TO EXIST

Over the course of my life, I’ve watched dating sites emerge. At first, there was quite a stigma around them. If you were “on a dating site,” it almost meant you were a bit of a loser—like you “needed” it because you weren’t capable of meeting someone “normally” in a bar.

Those days are long gone. Dating sites and apps have become the norm. I’ve seen them evolve from something mainly used by introverts into something that’s just part of everyday life for almost everyone. In fact, it now sometimes feels almost “not done” to meet someone “in the wild,” let alone strike up a conversation in a café—which used to be completely normal.

WHY REAL-LIFE ENCOUNTERS ARE DISAPPEARING

I think part of this shift comes from people being more afraid of being accused of inappropriate behavior. And of course, there’s always the risk of rejection. Online, that rejection feels a bit less personal.

I have to admit: dating sites were never my cup of tea, and I never even started with dating apps. To me, there’s something a bit inhuman about “choosing” someone like you’re browsing a mail-order catalogue. (Although even that concept is something from a very different era now 😆—but you probably know what I mean.)

And besides, I can’t fall for a profile. I fall for a man I see moving, laughing, making sharp, witty remarks…

THE BIGGER ISSUE: TECHNOLOGY AND ISOLATION

But that’s not even the main reason I’m happy that younger people seem to be stepping away from dating apps and leaning more into “real life” encounters.

The main reason is that all these technologies (smartphones, WhatsApp, dating apps, and yes—even AI tools like ChatGPT) may be incredibly convenient—but they also increasingly isolate us from one another. That’s why I’m so glad about the counter-movement my daughter was talking about.

At the same time, I do find it a little sad that the spontaneity my generation grew up with has almost completely disappeared. But who knows—maybe it will come back one day under the label “trendy”?

Maybe the next generation will rediscover what can’t be swiped.

(BTW: here’s a funny video about dating in 2026)

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Do you prefer meeting people through an app, or “in real life”?
Would you still dare to strike up a conversation in a café?

I’m curious how you see this. Let me know in the comments.

PS: Do you know who those two are in the photo? That’s Johnny Hallyday (video) and Sylvie Vartan (video). Quite a couple, don’t you think?

Photo via Wikimedia Commons — Public Domain (CC0)