5 ways dating changed in 2025

The year of slop and rage bait is coming to a close, and some singles would surely use those words to describe dating in 2025, as well. 

Mid-year, daters told Mashable they're tired of dating apps and want to meet people in person, but they didn't know how. Meanwhile, others used AI to date for them, or they chose to meet and "marry" an AI instead.

With such a whirlwind year, we've picked the five ways that dating changed in 2025 — maybe (excuse the Wicked reference) for good.

AI infiltrates dating

Dating apps began utilizing AI before this year, but in 2025, AI-driven features took off. Despite Mashable asking back in February if AI can save dating apps — and noting the cons — apps continue to invest in such features. Tinder announced in its latest earnings call that it's testing an AI matchmaker called Chemistry, while Hinge launched AI-powered conversation starters in December. The founder of Hinge even announced that he's stepping away from the app to launch an AI dating service called Overtone. 

Daters themselves are also leaning into the AI boom. Match found that 300 percent more singles use AI to date in 2025 than in 2024. And Hinge recently reported that while its daters are longing for deeper connections, some are using the tech to find a partner, too. 

Don't think that AI usage stops when you do find that special someone: Some engaged couples are now using ChatGPT to plan their weddings. 

And that's if they're marrying a human. This year, we've seen an increase in people in relationships with chatbots themselves. According to one survey (by an AI company, so take it with a grain of salt), eight in 10 people in Gen Z would marry an AI. 

We fell out of love with the apps 

You're not imagining it: dating apps have lost their sparkle this past year. Seventy-eight percent of all dating app users reported feeling burnt out by the apps, according to a 2025 Forbes Health report. Dating apps are losing users, with Ofcom figures showing a gradual decline in users across all the main apps, with a particular decrease in female usership. And is it any wonder why? As a dating app user, they feel dead. You spend so much time swiping for very few matches, none of whom seem to want to engage in any kind of conversation. It feels like a waste of time. 

This year saw the explosion of "offline dating," formerly known as just "dating" for those old enough to remember a world before swiping. As people fell out of love with the apps, they decided to take things outside (literally) and put themselves out there in the real world. People flocked to singles' events at bars, bookshops, run clubs, art schools, even sandwich shops. Bye bye dating apps, hello rom-com worthy meet-cutes and wholesome IRL encounters.

Boyfriends are officially out 

Is having a boyfriend embarrassing now? It certainly seems to be, according to the viral British Vogue essay by Chanté Joseph, which interrogates whether it's now deeply uncool, nay "culturally loser-ish," to post about your boyfriend on main. Posting a pic of your boyfriend with the caption "boy did good"? Dead. Not just dead, but outright loser behaviour. 

What's going on? Well, women are decentering relationships from their lives. We're romanticising our friendships, centering joy, celebrating girlhood, healing our inner child, attempting to unlearn the male gaze, and becoming more self-actualised. Being single is a symbol of strength, independence, self-fulfilment. Relationships no longer hold the social capital they once did. There's simply more interesting stuff going on! 

More surveillance by governments — and each other

2025 brought more age-verification laws around the globe. These laws typically require inputting personal data, such as a government-issued ID or a facial scan, into a website containing material that governments deem to be intended for adults. 

Dating apps are no exception. Earlier this year, several major apps like Hinge and Tinder told Mashable they'd require age checks due to the UK's age-verification law, the Online Safety Act. Tinder has taken it a step further by requiring a facial scan for all new users in the United States, following a trial in California. 

As dating apps grapple with security issues — such as bad actors and spam accounts — they're tightening restrictions on who can join, and the information required to swipe.

Surveillance is also increasingly occurring amongst daters themselves. Private Facebook groups like "Are We Dating the Same Guy?" continue to grow (and even face legal action, though a lawsuit about these groups was dismissed earlier this year), while a major controversy among singles this year was the leak of the Tea app. On Tea, women posted their experiences with certain men (similar to Are We Dating the Same Guy), and a major cyberattack exposed people's photos and IDs. 

As Tom Stroud wrote for Mashable, these spaces have "ushered in a new era of dating with receipts."

Cost of living hits our love lives more than ever

The cost of living has risen globally in the past few years. In the U.S., tariffs imposed by the Trump administration have also instilled a fear of rising prices, and that fear is coming to pass in some cases.

Wages aren't keeping up, and we're entering a grueling job market where recent graduates may be being replaced by AI. The result is that people, especially young adults, have less discretionary income.

No doubt this impacts dating. Mashable has been covering this phenomenon of cost of living impacting relationships for years now, but in 2025, it became starker than ever. In September, 28 percent of men said they'd rather date an AI than be single due to the cost of dating.