Bumble boss admits dating apps can be bad for mental health
Dating apps can be harmful for mental health because they contribute to "smartphone addiction," according to the founder of one of the world's most popular matchmaking services.
Whitney Wolfe, the founder of Bumble, said that the company took “accountability” for digital well being and that “we are in responsible in part for this epidemic of social media obsession”. She added that it was “time to encourage our users to focus on themselves and mental health and not trapped in this warp of a never ending stream of connection.”
Ms Wolfe said Bumble will now add a new “Snooze” function, which freezes the app for a certain time.
Users select how long they want to pause their subscription and contacts are sent an alert telling them the user is away. Ms Wolfe said that she had tried it herself and although after 48 hours she experienced “withdrawal symptoms” but that she eventually "started relearning how to be human again".
It is the first time a major dating app has addressed the growing concerns surrounding dependency on smartphones. Both Apple and Google are creating features for their phones that will set time limits and usage reports after experts suggested that excessive phone use could be affecting younger generations who have grown up with the technology.
Bumble has almost doubled its global users to more than 40 million following the Me Too movement of 2017. It brands itself as a “female empowerment| app as it only allows women to make the first move after matching with a prospector.
Wolfe was an early co-founder of Tinder, but left in 2014 after alleging she was sexually harassed by two of ex co-workers, a claim that was settled for a reported $1m.
Wolfe said she would not rule out a partnership with Facebook, largely regarded as one of the major proponents of so-called smartphone addiction, which has recently announced it will launch its own social networking-style dating service.
