For nearly two [escapes / decades] , smartphones have played a huge [roll / role] in romance, love and dating. Dozens of apps have been created to make it easier to [meeting / meet] a partner. However, dating app companies [seen / seem] to be in trouble. The world's two largest companies have [lost / losing] more than $40 billion [in / on] market value since 2021. Workers for these companies are losing [their / them] jobs. The reason for this is that fewer young people are paying to use the apps. The app companies [rely / relay] on subscriptions to make a profit. However, many teenagers and people [in / on] their twenties no longer want to subscribe to use dating apps. Instead, they are choosing to use free [platform / platforms] like Snapchat and TikTok to find romance.
In 2017, NBC News predicted that [of / by] 2040, the percentage of couples meeting online would [have / be] 70 per cent. Today in the United States, 30 per cent of adults, and over [half / halve] of adults under 30, use dating apps. About a third of dating app users say they pay [to / for] them. However, times are changing. Younger people around the world have [less / lest] money to spend on things like apps. The New York Times interviewed young people about dating apps. One 18-year-old student said she [preferred / prefer] to meet people in person or through [direct / directly] messages on social media. She said dating apps were for "casual [use / abuse] , like a game". She added that [no one / none] of her friends paid for them. She thought that paying for an app was a [none / no-no] .
