GRINDR – Poland’s Supreme Administrative Court ruled that same-sex marriages performed in other EU countries must be recognized in Poland, giving legal status to an estimated 30K–40K Polish couples married abroad. The ruling follows advocacy from local organizations, supported by Grindr for Equality through campaigns and partner initiatives. Full marriage equality remains the goal.
BUSINESS RECRUITMENT – Dating app usage in the UK has fallen 16% since 2024 due to app fatigue, but investor interest is shifting toward female-led dating companies, especially matchmaking services. Women run ~90% of personalized agencies and are increasingly entering app leadership roles, focusing on safety, emotional intelligence, and relationship outcomes rather than engagement mechanics. These platforms produce fewer initial meetings than large swipe apps but achieve higher rates of long-term relationships. The UK market has ~1.3M users across ~1,400 services worth £422M and is growing 8% annually, with global dating projected to exceed £13B by 2030. Industry figures argue that the future model combines human matchmaking supported by AI rather than AI-only systems.
THE DRUM – Breeze, a dating app designed to move matches quickly from the screen to an in-person date, is launching in the UK. The launch is promoted with a national campaign created by Cloudfactory that focuses on the moment of agreeing to meet rather than prolonged messaging.
OPW – Ofcom’s new Online Nation report shows UK adults now spend an average of 4 hours 30 minutes online daily, rising to 6 hours 20 minutes for 18–24-year-olds. Women use slightly more apps than men, and nearly half of adult internet users want stronger online safety measures. In dating, 11% of adults, about 5M people, visited a dating site in 2025, with male users increasing by 400K while female usage dipped slightly; time spent per visit also declined. Age-assurance rules had a major impact: VPN use spiked from 650K to 1.4M in August before stabilising, and the top five age-assurance providers saw 7.5M visits in the first four weeks after the Children’s Codes were introduced.
OFCOM – Ofcom is phasing in the UK’s Online Safety Act through 2027, creating a full regulatory system that makes online platforms legally responsible for tackling illegal content, protecting children, improving age-verification, publishing transparency reports, and strengthening terms of service. They’ve already issued key rules on illegal harms and child safety, and the next steps include new guidance for protecting women and girls, requirements for handling data about deceased children, super-complaints, accredited technologies for detecting child sexual abuse and terrorism content, media-literacy standards, and extra duties for major platforms (like controls for fraudulent ads, ID verification, and protections for journalism and democratic content). By 2027, major services will need to comply fully, publish public safety reports, meet stricter enforcement standards, and possibly even face new requirements for app stores and expanded priority offences such as cyberflashing and self-harm encouragement.
See full article at Ofcom website
PYMNTS – Reports of romance fraud in the UK rose 9% in 2024–2025, costing victims ~106M, according to a new review by the Financial Conduct Authority. The FCA said banks, payment firms, and online platforms must step up detection and prevention, as 85% of such scams begin online. It urged greater user education, stronger anti-fraud systems, and closer cooperation between financial and digital platforms to curb losses.
See full article at PYMNTS
MASHABLE – Starting July 25, dating apps in the UK must implement age verification under the Online Safety Act. Feeld will use Yoti to confirm user age via phone number or selfie, without storing personal data. Tinder will require a clear face photo and may request ID if age can't be verified. Bumble says it already enforces strict age checks and uses selfie and ID verification. Hinge will scan a face photo to confirm users are 18+, storing it for up to three months, with results kept for a year. Rollouts in the U.S. and EU may follow based on regional laws.
Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team
METRO.CO.UK – A study by the University of Southampton and Harvard found that UK dating app users aged 18–40 are more open to dating Reform UK supporters than Conservatives, especially among younger, left-leaning users. While Labour, Green, and Lib Dem voters get more matches overall, Conservative support is now seen as more of a red flag. Experts say political alignment matters more in long-term relationships, but dating across party lines can sometimes shift views over time.
LINKEDIN – Match Group has joined forces with leading UK tech, telecom, and finance companies as part of Stop Scams UK's renewed commitment to tackling fraud. By supporting intelligence-sharing pilots and cross-sector data exchange, Match Group is focused on helping dating platforms detect and prevent scams before they reach users. The goal: stronger consumer protection, better coordination, and safer online experiences across the board.
