ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Media Psychology
This article is part of the Research TopicDigital Citizenship in the New Era of Social MediaView all 19 articles
Digital Dating Engagement Among Young Users: Gender Differences in Tinder Use Motivations and Associations with Sexual Desire but Not Self-Esteem
Provisionally accepted
- University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
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Introduction With over 60 million active users worldwide, Tinder is one of the most popular dating applications among young adults. While prior research has linked its use to lower self-esteem and heightened sexual desire, findings remain inconsistent, particularly regarding the relationship between self-esteem and Tinder use, and few research have examined the direct relationship between Tinder use and sexual desire, as well as the nuanced motivations of young users. Materials and Methods The study examined the relationships between Tinder use, user motivations, gender identity, sexual desire, and self-esteem among 305 participants aged 18-30. Participants were categorized as high, medium, or low Tinder users and completed an online survey including the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Sexual Drive Inventory-2, and demographic questions. Results Chi-square analyses revealed significant gender differences in Tinder use motivations (p < .001), with men seeking casual sex and women more often pursuing serious relationships. Regression analyses showed that increased Tinder use was associated with higher sexual desire (p < .001), particularly dyadic attractive-person desire, though no significant relationship was found between Tinder use and self-esteem (p = .82). Conclusion These findings highlight sexual desire and relational motivations as central components of Tinder engagement among young adults. The absence of a significant link with self-esteem challenges prior assumptions and underlines the need for more nuanced, longitudinal research. By clarifying behavioural patterns and psychological correlates of dating application use, this study contributes to the growing field of digital relationship research. It also offers insights relevant to mental health support, user education, and platform design.
Keywords: TINDER, online dating, Dating application, sexual desire, self-esteem, Young users, digital risk awareness, evolutionary mating theory
Received: 04 Jul 2025; Accepted: 04 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Morlat, Limniou and Alison. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Pantxika Victoire Morlat, pa.morlat@gmail.com
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