Grindr was the most popular dating app this year among users aged 54+

Grindr was found to be this year’s most popular dating app among users aged 54 and up, according to a new study from Ofcom.

The UK’s communications regulator published new research on Tuesday (28 November) on the nation’s online lives – from their use of AI and messaging services to their favourite news apps and porn sites.

Through the study, based on a range of media trackers and polls, the watchdog determined that more than ten per cent of UK adults are using online dating services like Tinder, Hinge, Bumble, Grindr, Match.com, Plenty of Fish, and OkCupid.

Overall, Tinder is the highest-reaching app among UK online adults at 2.5 million users (5 per cent), followed by Bumble Inc, which owns Bumble and Badoo, at 1.7 million (4 per cent).

But despite having by far the highest reach, time spent on Tinder was relatively low. In May 2023, visitors spent just over an hour on Tinder.

In comparison, Grindr boasted the longest time spent per visitor by far. In May 2023, the average user spent nearly seven hours tapping through profiles and sending DMs.

When it comes to age groups, Grindr proved to be the most popular app for adults aged 54 and over.

Generally speaking, the LGBTQ+ dating app kept up with the most popular platforms across almost all age groups, bar the 18-24 age category, which only accounted for 14 per cent of users compared to Tinder’s 24 per cent or Hinge’s 28 per cent.

The 25-34 age group accounted for 37 per cent of Grindr’s users, putting it exactly on par with Tinder, and just slightly behind Hinge (45 per cent) and Bumble (43 per cent).  But Grindr seems to have really made its mark among the over 50s.

According to Ofcom’s research, Grindr is the most popular dating app for those over the age of 54, reaching 136,000 people.

The study also found that Grindr’s reach is only growing, recording an increase of 134,000 visitors in 2023, bringing its total UK adult reach to a whopping 924,000 or so. That equates to just about 1.9 per cent of the UK adult population.

Elsewhere in the study, Ofcom determined that 13.8 million (29 per cent) of UK adults accessed porn in 2023, marking a very slight drop from 2022’s 14.6 million (31 per cent).

Of that 13.8 million, a whopping 10.1 million users were identified as men, compared to just 3.7 million who were identified as women.

When it comes to gaming, a much larger 38 per cent of UK adults are playing games online – as well as 57 per cent of UK children.

While Roblox is the top-reaching games app among children, followed by Magic Tiles 3 and Minecraft, the top-reaching games app among adults is, somewhat unsurprisingly, Candy Crush Saga with 2.54 million users and counting.

The Ofcom study also examines internet users’ exposure to harm online.

It found that, while 67 per cent of women are subject to online harm, as are 73 per cent of people from a minority ethnic group, 77 per cent of gay people, and 85 per cent of bisexual people.