The goal of dating apps is simple: to make finding your next partner easy. Programmed with algorithms that take your preferences and set you up with your most compatible match, dating apps sell you the idea that you can find the one with just one swipe. Though it sounds too good to be true, the many trials and tribulations of modern dating lead people to believe it. 

According to a Pew Research study, 53% of adults under 30 have reported using a dating app, making online dating the most common form of dating among young adults. The same study reported that 44% of users have downloaded dating apps to find a life partner.  

The apps are filled with young adults ready for serious dating, and the algorithms can easily weed out anybody who doesn’t match your preferences. In theory, as a college student, it should make finding your next partner effortless.

But it doesn’t. These apps aren’t helping you find a lifelong partner. Instead, they’re fostering a superficial dating environment, promoting sexual misconduct and negatively impacting mental health. They’re here to make casual hookups easier, but actual dating harder than ever. 

A 2022 study by researchers at MIT discussed how the introduction of dating apps, specifically Tinder, has drastically increased the number of potential partners for college students, resulting in greater commitment problems. After the introduction of Tinder, there was a sharp increase in sexual activity among college students but little impact on long-term relationships or relationship quality.

Researchers at BMJ Public Health reported in 2025 that young adult dating app users present higher scores of sexual addiction and are more likely to engage in riskier sexual behavior. 

With so many options, today’s college students are less likely to settle down in long-term relationships, despite them still having the desire to. 

But even if you download a dating app with casual intentions, it can still harm your well-being. 

College students are most vulnerable to these risks, as they are in the development phase of emerging adulthood. Students are actively forming their own identities and laying the groundwork for future relationships, making them susceptible to mental health challenges. 

The same BMJ Public Health study found that dating app usage is associated with increased social anxiety, symptoms of depression and psychosocial stress. This added stressor, combined with the many other pressures of college life, creates a toxic, taxing environment at a time when people are supposed to be discovering themselves. 

Aside from the negative effects dating apps have on mental health, they can also be a particularly unsafe environment –– even if it’s online. 

In 2023, Pew Research reported that 56% of women under the age of 50 who use dating sites or apps have received an unwanted sexually explicit message. The study from MIT also reported there was an increase in sexual assaults reported when Tinder was introduced to college campuses. While not the sole catalyst for these rising numbers, dating apps are fostering space for this kind of behavior. 

Dating can be hard. After so many dates, a dating app might sound like a simple solution and an easy form of validation. But they ultimately do nothing more than broaden the number of available and single people you can access. 

As a college student, there are many other –– and safer –– ways to find people, whether at clubs, classes or parties. Take advantage of being in an area surrounded by people your age who are all looking for friends.  

So instead of mindlessly swiping on Hinge, Tinder or even Ditto AI, go out into the real world and find a romantic connection naturally. Though it might take longer, it’s worth protecting your peace.