In China, dating apps flourish under watchful gaze of regulators. Here's why
Number of dating apps have grown exponentially in the past two years
For the past two years, China has been tightening its screws on the burgeoning tech sector. They have been restricting online video games, imposing multimillion dollar anti-trust fines on online shopping platforms and banning online tutoring agencies.
Some of China’s crownjewels like Jack Ma’s Alibaba and Tencent have faced the wrath of the Chinese authorities for failing to comply with anti-monopoly trade laws.
But there is one sector within the tech industry which has been rapidly growing without facing any hindrance from the Chinese regulators—dating apps.
According to data.ai, an analytics firm, the number of dating apps have grown exponentially, from 81 in 2017, to 275 in 2022.
Not only that, the number of downloads has also increased, touching thousands and so have in-app purchases.
Last year, dating apps and social media networking sites received over $5.3 billion in investments, up from $300 million in 2019, according to data shared by PitchBook Data, Inc.
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However, there is more than just a romantic reason why China appears to have given these dating apps free reign. They also provide a prospect for marriage—a glimmer of hope for Beijing which has been battling low fertility rates and marriage, reports The New York Times.
And for people, who have been grappling with loneliness during the Covid times, these apps provide them virtual sanctuaries to meet new friends, explore hobbies and discuss popular topics.
Zhang Lu, the founder of Soul, a dating app backed by Tencent, told NYT that “loneliness is the core problem we want to solve.”
But many find these dating apps as a platform for meeting new friends than gaining a dating partner.
In a survey conducted by aChinese research institutein October, 89 per cent of the respondents said they had used a dating app before, with a majority of them saying they wanted to expand their social circles and not to find a partner.
A Shanghai-based developer working on his own dating app, Vladimir Peters, told the NYT that many younger Chinese want the apps to provide a more holistic experience that blends entertainment and hobby exploration, and not just a love match.
(With inputs from agencies)
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