Hily’s New Dating T.R.U.T.H. Report Exposes the Dating-Reality Disconnect, Delivering a Wake-Up Call to Gen Z Daters

Brace yourself for a data-backed reality check 

Las Vegas, January 29, 2025—As Gen Z dating fatigue hits peak levels, dating app Hily is releasing its second Dating T.R.U.T.H. Report (Trends & Realities: Unfiltered Truth Highlighted). Based on a survey of over 3,000 U.S. Hily daters, it exposes the real reasons behind Gen Z dissatisfaction with their dating lives in 2025 and offers practical steps to rediscover joy in dating again.

Gen Zers feel that their dating habits have a major impact on how they’re perceived by others. 2 in 5 think they seem less socially attractive because they don’t go on “enough” dates; roughly 1 in 4 think that not going on dates that are “high-profile” reduces their social attractiveness; and around 1 in 5 think that going on dates with “average people living average lives” negatively impacts the way they’re regarded. In reality, those very same Gen Zers mostly don’t view others the way they worry they’re being viewed: only 1 in 5 find people less socially attractive if they don’t go on “enough” dates, and only 1 in 10 consider “low-profile” dates or “average” partners a turnoff.

At Hily, we call this the Dating-Reality Disconnect: the gap between what we think dating should be like (based on what we read, see and hear from others) and the reality of dating as it is.

In the 2026 Dating T.R.U.T.H. Report, Hily’s research team, alongside Relationship Expert  Dr. Sabrina Romanoff and Relationship Science Advisor Dr. Liesel Sharabi, unpack the Dating-Reality Disconnect and guide Gen Z back to the reality of authentic dating.

Truth #1: Social Media Aesthetics ≠ Authentic Dating

One of the obstacles that prevents Gen Z from enjoying their dating lives is the Dater-Spectator Effect. Scrolling dating content makes them feel constantly watched and judged, fueling pressure to live a picture-perfect dating life. And while 57% of women and 60% of men know social media’s “perfect” dating is fake, the pressure is getting to them more than ever.

• Frequency of dates: Dating content left 48% of women and 58% of men feeling they didn’t date enough. In reality, 43% of women and 51% of men had zero dates in 2025. Yet because of social media, 32% of women and 28% of men believed that most people dated a couple times a month; 20% of women and 15% of men thought it was a weekly occurrence; and 11% of women and 18% of men assumed people are going on dates multiple times a week.
• Quality of dates: After scrolling, 35% of women and 23% of men feel their dates aren’t “good enough.” And 30% of women and 28% of men believed that folks on social media were dissatisfied with the people they dated in 2025. But the actual level of dissatisfaction was much higher. Of those who actually did date, 42% of Gen Z women and 31% of men were dissatisfied with the people they’d gone on dates with in 2025. 
• Scale of dates: Because of dating shown on social media, 38% of women and 28% of men think their dates aren’t “good enough.” And 28% of women and 26% of men thought folks on social media were dissatisfied. But the real numbers are higher: of those who dated, 37% of Gen Z women and 27% of men are dissatisfied with the dates they went on in 2025.

Dr. Liesel Sharabi explains: “Factor in how much time Gen Z spends online, and it makes sense that they’d be influenced by what they’re seeing, even if they know it’s far from reality. Moreover, seeing these posts constantly can further contribute to the perception that everyone is out there having incredible dates when you’re not. In these instances, it’s easy for social media to make people feel bad about themselves and like other people’s dating lives are better than their own.”

Truth #2: Peer Validation ≠ Good Dating Advice

Another obstacle that doesn’t let Gen Z enjoy their dating life is “peer pressure.” Friends, family and colleagues set rigid rules, often outpacing social media’s sway. Conversations with their social circles make 1 in 3 Gen Z suspect that the people they know are sugarcoating their dating lives, but conversations with their social circles also make 1 in 3 Gen Z women and 1 in 5 men feel like their dating lives must be approved by others. Relatedly, there are consequences when Gen Zers discuss dating and/or relationships with their social circles:

• 55% of women and 65% of men feel they don’t go on enough dates
• 39% of women and 23% of men deem their partners “not good enough”
• 32% of women and 26% of men think their dates aren’t good enough
• 34% of women and 28% of men feel discouraged from dating
• 24% of women and 23% of men want to stay single

Dr. Sabrina Romanoff has a recommendation: “It’s important to check with yourself if peer advice aligns with your values and encourages growth and self-awareness, rather than conforming to what they [your peers] may want. People may be passive-aggressive or vaguely signal judgment under the veil of being ‘helpful.’”




Return to Reality: Reconnect with What Works

To make things better, Gen Z is trying to find ways to feel good about dating once again. They started romanticizing 2016 as a pre-TikTok “golden era” for romance Now, 45% of women and 52% of men say dating was better 10 years ago. Here are the throwbacks these daters are trying to revive:

• Meet-cute mindset: 62% of women and 55% of men are open to IRL romantic meetings. Yet 38% of women and 42% of men feel anxious approaching strangers.
• Slow searching: 67% of women and 61% of men want matches to review their full profiles before liking, and 54% of women and 49% of men are ready to do so.
• “Appstinence:” 48% of women and 53% of men plan to cut back on social media to reduce its influence on their perception of dating.

Dr. Liesel Sharabi highlights: “More than anything, daters need authenticity to end the Dating-Reality Disconnect. Real dating isn’t always social media-worthy or cool, but it’s worth pursuing, especially for meaningful connections.”

Contact: pr@hily.com

Methodology

This report was developed by Hily’s dedicated research team, along with relationship science advisors Dr. Liesel Sharabi, PhD, and Dr. Sabrina Romanoff, PsyD.
 In December of 2025, the team surveyed over 3,000 Gen Z Hily daters in the U.S. to examine the pressures that they face on social media and from peers and how they shape their dating expectations. The report also includes opinions and reflections from Hily daters.

About Dr. Sabrina Romanoff, PsyD, Hily’s Relationship Expert

Dr. Romanoff is a Harvard-trained clinical psychologist and researcher with over a decade of experience helping people cultivate healthier, more fulfilling romantic lives. Her research has been presented at the Harvard Medical School Mysell Psychiatry Research Symposium and published in The Journal of Psychiatry Research. She is a professor at Yeshiva University, teaching clinical psychology to doctoral students.

About Dr. Liesel Sharabi, PhD, Hily’s Relationship Science Advisor

Dr. Liesel Sharabi is an Associate Professor of Communications and director of the Relationships and Technology Lab at Arizona State University. As a relationship scientist, she studies the impact of technology on dating and love. She writes a column, “Dating in the Digital Age” for Psychology Today and has published dozens of book chapters and articles on mate selection and relationship development.

About Hily Dating App

Hily (pronounced like ‘highly’) is the dating app made for anyone who’s done pretending, seeks authenticity and wants to keep it real from the start. By normalizing honest dating, Hily is breaking one of the biggest curses in online dating: feeling like you have to hide who you are just to fit in.  Short for “Hey, I Like You,” it invites to have fun, date as you are, and leave the whole perfection game behind. On Hily, daters can show up as their actual self—no fake vibes, just real connection. It’s a space where there’s zero pressure to pretend. With features like Icks&Clicks, Consent Guard, Major Crush, Hily makes it easy to express who you really are and connect in ways that actually feel authentic.

Launched in 2017, Hily has become one of the top 5 dating apps in US app stores, with over 40 million users worldwide.