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The Impact of Dating Apps on Young Adults: Evidence from Tinder

Berkeren Buyukeren et al.

American Economic Journal: Applied Economics2026https://doi.org/10.1257/app.20240455article
AJG 4ABDC A*
Weight
0.50

Abstract

Online dating apps have transformed the dating market, yet their broader effects remain unclear. We study Tinder's impact on college students using its initial marketing focus on Greek organizations for identification. We show that the full-scale launch of Tinder led to a sharp, persistent increase in sexual activity, but with little corresponding impact on the formation of long-term relationships or relationship quality. Dating outcome inequality, especially among men, rose, alongside rates of sexual assault and STDs. However, despite these changes, Tinder's introduction did not worsen students' mental health on average and may have even led to improvements for female students. (JEL I12, I23, J13, J16, L86)

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1257/app.20240455

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@article{berkeren2026,
  title        = {{The Impact of Dating Apps on Young Adults: Evidence from Tinder}},
  author       = {Berkeren Buyukeren et al.},
  journal      = {American Economic Journal: Applied Economics},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1257/app.20240455},
}

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The Impact of Dating Apps on Young Adults: Evidence from Tinder

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Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.