People Who Use Dating Apps Have An Increased Risk Of Eating Disorders, Study Suggests

In the last decade, with the growth of the internet and smartphone technology, online dating has gone from a niche pursuit to widespread popularity.

Critics of dating apps have highlighted how the very nature of most apps – including Tinder, Bumble and Hinge – place a lot of emphasis on physical appearances. This is especially the case when users need to make a good first impression so people ‘swipe right’ on their photograph. 

In the study, published in the Journal of Eating Disorders, researchers compared the behaviour of people who used dating apps with those who didn’t. In the group of dating app users, 50% of men and women reported fasting to control their weight, and one in five women and a third of men said they would vomit for weight control. One in four women and 40% of men said they used laxatives.

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Dr Alvin Tran, lead author of the study said they also found higher rates of these unhealthy behaviours among ethnic minorities. 

The study is unable to establish whether the people were already engaging in these behaviours before they downloaded the apps, he added, but he was concerned that anything focusing so heavily on image could make it worse.

“We worry that the use of these image and appearance-focused services could exacerbate those behaviours,” he said. 

A spokesperson from Beat, the UK eating disorder charity, told the BBC dating app users who may be at risk of such behaviours should be offered support. For further information and support, call Beat’s helpline on 0808 801 0677.