Tinder / Hinge "Pay to Play" Lawsuit

Overview

Tinder / Hinge Pay-To-Play Lawsuit or Match Group Pay-To-Play Lawsuit refers to a February 2024 class-action lawsuit in which multiple plaintiffs accused the Match Group (Tinder, Hinge and Match) of using an addictive "pay-to-play" design in their online dating apps in order to keep users swiping rather than forming meaningful relationships, citing paid premium features and paywalls as supposed evidence.

Background

On February 14th, 2024, a lawsuit was filed against the Match Group (behind dating apps Tinder, Hinge and Match) in San Francisco, California. One of the first outlets to pick up the news was US News & World Report,^[1] which described the reasoning behind the lawsuit, saying the apps were alleged to "encourage compulsive use."

News of the lawsuit quickly spread online over the following days as it garnered attention. Later on February 14th, NPR then published an article that gained online notoriety, describing the accusations against "'addictive' dating apps that put profits over love." NPR went on to describe the details of the lawsuit and said:

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.

Developments

On February 15th, 2024, a spokesperson from the Match Group company reached out to share a statement with multiple press outlets, including USA Today,^[5] saying:

This lawsuit is ridiculous and has zero merit. 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.

Online Reactions

As the news continued to trend, social media users, particularly on TikTok, began to weigh in on the controversy and share their own experiences with Tinder and Hinge. One notable video on the topic was posted by @twenty2guru on TikTok^[3] on February 16th, 2024, where it received 1.1 million likes and 73,000 likes in three days (seen below, left).

On February 15th, TikTok^[4] user @shanisilver also posted a video discussing the NPR^[2] article on the lawsuit and agreeing with the motives of the class action suit, which received 221,000 views and 36,000 likes in four days (seen below, right).

Search Interest

Unavailable.

External References