Current:Home > MyMaker of Tinder, Hinge sued over 'addictive' dating apps that put profits over love-DB Wealth Institute B2 Reviews & Ratings
Maker of Tinder, Hinge sued over 'addictive' dating apps that put profits over love
lotradecoin margin trading explained View Date:2024-12-26 05:28:07
The popular dating apps Tinder, Hinge and the League hook users with the promise of seemingly endless romantic matches in order to push people to pay money to continue their compulsive behavior, according to a federal lawsuit filed in San Francisco on Wednesday.
The suit, brought by six plaintiffs in states including New York, California and Florida, argues that dating app parent company Match Group gamifies the services "to transform users into gamblers locked in a search for psychological rewards that Match makes elusive on purpose."
While Hinge's advertising slogan boasts that it is "designed to be deleted," the lawsuit claims Match Group's dating apps are really designed to turn users into "addicts" who do not find true love and instead keep purchasing subscriptions and other paid perks to keep the publicly traded company's revenue flowing.
The complaint, which is seeking class action status, claims Match Group has violated state and federal consumer protection, false advertising and defective design laws.
"Harnessing powerful technologies and hidden algorithms, Match intentionally designs the platforms with addictive, game-like design features, which lock users into a perpetually pay-to-play loop that prioritizes corporate profits over its marketing promises and customers' relationship goals," lawyers for the plaintiffs wrote in the suit.
Many popular dating apps, like Tinder and Hinge, are free to download and use, but paid subscriptions to premium features are required to have unlimited swipes, or access the most coveted singles on the app. For instance, users can spend $3.99 on Hinge to send a "rose" to a "standout" profile.
A Match Group spokesperson denied the allegations in the Valentine's Day lawsuit, saying it is "ridiculous and has zero merit."
The spokesperson continued: "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."
Studies indicate anywhere from 10% to nearly half of couples in the U.S. met through online dating.
Thanks to push notifications and other features attempting to keep users engaged, it can be difficult to put the apps down, which is intentional by design, according to the lawsuit, which claims the Match Group's dating apps are "intended to erode users' ability to disengage."
Such tactics are not specific to the world of online dating — most social media platforms employ notifications and features like an "infinite scroll," keeping people thumbing at their screens in a thoughtless and almost irresistible way.
The question the lawsuit poses is: Does Match Group have to disclose the potentially addictive quality of such commonplace design features? And have the company's lack of warnings constituted a violation of consumer protection laws?
The legal action against Match Group joins a new crop of lawsuits challenging tech companies, including Google, Instagram owner Meta and TikTok, in an attempt to hold platforms accountable for exacerbating the youth mental health crisis.
Since tech companies have broad immunity to lawsuits under a legal shield known as Section 230, the new slate of lawsuits are attacking tech firms under novel claims, including product liability and defective design.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs who sued Match on Wednesday cited journalist Nancy Jo Sales, who directed the documentary Swiped: Hooking Up in the Digital Age.
Tinder co-founder Jonathan Badeen told Jo Sales that the dating app's swiping feature was partially inspired by a famous experiment by behavioral psychologist B. F. Skinner. In it, Skinner "turned pigeons into gamblers" by giving them food delivered at random intervals. But the pigeons believed their pecking prompted the food to appear, causing the birds to ceaselessly hammer away at their trays.
"Just as pigeons can be conditioned to peck at determinable intervals, so can users be conditioned to endlessly swipe," according to the lawsuit, which, among other remedies, asks the court to order Match to launch an advertising campaign revealing the addictive nature of the company's dating apps.
The suit references a 2020 study on "ghosting" and "breadcrumbing," terms used to describe a dating app match who suddenly disappears or gives only intermittent attention.
"Users with unlimited swipes will chase the elusive high of matching, match more often, and fall victim to ghosting and breadcrumbing at higher rates," the suit claims.
This, in turn, significantly increases the likelihood of experiencing less satisfaction with life and having more feelings of loneliness and helplessness, the suit claims.
veryGood! (33)
Related
- Rob Schneider seeks forgiveness from daughter Elle King after 'fat camp' claims
- Why the VA in Atlanta is throwing 'drive-through' baby showers for pregnant veterans
- Small U.S. Solar Businesses Suffering from Tariffs on Imported Chinese Panels
- Major Corporations Quietly Reducing Emissions—and Saving Money
- 'Love Island UK' stars Molly-Mae Hague, Tommy Fury announce split after 5 years
- How Social Media Use Impacts Teen Mental Health
- Trump Admin. Halts Mountaintop Mining Health Risks Study by National Academies
- Today is 2023's Summer Solstice. Here's what to know about the official start of summer
- Video shows 2 toddlers in diapers, distraught in the middle of Texas highway after crash
- Alfonso Ribeiro's Wife Shares Health Update on 4-Year-Old Daughter After Emergency Surgery
Ranking
- Ryan Reynolds on his 'complicated' relationship with his dad, how it's changed him
- See maps of where the Titanic sank and how deep the wreckage is amid search for missing sub
- Deciding when it's time to end therapy
- What lessons have we learned from the COVID pandemic?
- A teen was falling asleep during a courtroom field trip. She ended up in cuffs and jail clothes
- An overlooked brain system helps you grab a coffee — and plan your next cup
- Your First Look at American Ninja Warrior Season 15's Most Insane Course Ever
- Climate Change Is Shifting Europe’s Flood Patterns, and These Regions Are Feeling the Consequences
Recommendation
-
State, local officials failed 12-year-old Pennsylvania girl who died after abuse, lawsuits say
-
Planning a trip? Here's how to avoid fake airline ticket scams
-
Teen with life-threatening depression finally found hope. Then insurance cut her off
-
Montana House votes to formally punish transgender lawmaker, Rep. Zooey Zephyr
-
Family of man killed by Connecticut police officer files lawsuit, seeks federal probe of department
-
How 90 Big Companies Helped Fuel Climate Change: Study Breaks It Down
-
Edgy or insensitive? The Paralympics TikTok account sparks a debate
-
Dr. Dre to receive inaugural Hip-Hop Icon Award from music licensing group ASCAP