As Valentine’s Day 2026 nears and conversations about love, dating and relationships prepare to take over our collective timelines, we thought it’d be interesting to take a look at how two major demographics —namely millennials and Gen Z—are going about finding a romantic connection in this day and age.
Suggested Reading
While their parents may advocate for the old school way of meeting potential romantic partners while out and about, a Pew Research Center study from 2016 revealed that 48% of 18- to 29-year-old millennials said that they’ve used a dating app in their quest for love instead.
In 2020, a different Pew study showed that 21% of adults aged 18-29 and about 15% of those 30-49 met their current partner online, via dating apps like Hinge, Tinder, Bumble or on social media. However, in a July 2025 study from Forbes, it alleged that older millennials in their 30s and 40s tended to divvy up their dating by combining things like dating apps with social hobbies, events and relying on mutual friends to help point them to a potential suitor. That same study did also note that millennials are the group that uses dating apps the most.
When it comes to Gen Z, per a study conducted by and published by hims in March 2025, they found that that group had a higher rate of meeting their partners digitally compared to other generations, citing the “the superficiality of swiping left and right, and the rapid-fire rejection” that happens afterwards as a deterrent from the apps.
What’s even more interesting is that in August 2025, another report from Dating News found that matchmaking services have seen a 400% surge when it comes to their Gen Z clientele, which is something they attribute to dating apps “losing their mystique” with the group and that they’d much prefer a more personalized, human to human interaction to find love.
Of course, these numbers can tell one story. But let the millennials and Gen Zers on social media tell it, their decisions are split. For millennial users like Kas on TikTok, she’s opting not to subject herself to the dating apps, explaining that she made the decision to get off of them after another user went viral for making an off-putting comparison.
“A man posted a video saying that if you a Hinge or dating app at all, it’s like putting yourself on clearance. I no longer have Hinge,” she said.
For millennial lifestyle and beauty creator Gigi, she’s holding out hope that she’ll meet her match the old school way, perhaps at a Barnes & Noble or while she’s out doing the things that she loves.
But for Gen Z user Eraxtrana, even if you’re meeting in person, it still won’t keep you from dealing with the difficulties that come along with trying to find a compatible person.
Straight From 
Sign up for our free daily newsletter.