Gen Alpha Hasn't Started Dating. They've Already Set the Rules.

By: Match Group Research Team

Older Gen Alpha hasn’t started seriously dating yet. Only 20% have been in a relationship. But new Match Group research shows they already have an idea what dating should look like once they get there, and it seems like the kids may be alright.

We fielded a two-part study: a nationally representative survey of 823 older Gen Alpha teens ages 13 to 15 in the U.S., building on an earlier qualitative phase of one-on-one interviews and focus groups with 14- to 19-year-olds. Every participant under 18 took part with parental or guardian consent – and they aren’t active users of Match Group’s apps, which are strictly 18+.

So much time and research has been devoted to Gen Z dating, generating concerns regarding loneliness and disinterest in companionship. Looking ahead, we are seeking to understand if Gen Z is unique, or if this is the start of a fundamental shift in how people date. Match Group asked Gen Alpha about the attitudes they are already forming around friendships and relationships, and how technology, culture, and life-stage experiences are shaping their approach to connection.

The responses point to something encouraging: Gen Alpha is interested in real connection, comfortable setting their own schedule, and hopeful about what relationships could eventually become. That’s where we see the possibility of a Great Reconnection, with early signals that the future of dating may look brighter than it has in years.

Who is Gen Alpha?

Gen Alpha is a social and optimistic generation. 92% are happy with their social lives, and 84% say they have a great future ahead of them (up 6 points from teens the same age just three years ago).

Part of this is due to the cultural moment they’re coming of age. While the pandemic was a defining event for Gen Z, Gen Alpha rarely brings it up. Gen Alpha is also growing up with more awareness of digital boundaries and what constant connectivity can take away from real-life relationships – and as a result, they seem to be reversing Gen Z screen time trends. Compared to teens even three years ago, Gen Alpha increasingly believes they spend too much time online (up 27 points), and 81% have some form of screen time limits.

Compared to Gen Z, Gen Alpha is more oriented around traditional life and relationship milestones. Getting a driver’s license, college, marriage, a house, kids: all of it is on the list, and 87% say they’re very confident they’ll get there.

What’s missing is just as telling. Anxieties that have defined Gen Z – like mental health, the job market, AI, and whether they’ll be able to afford a home – rarely come up when Gen Alpha talks about what’s ahead.

Writing Their Own Rules for Romance

If you ask Gen Alpha what they actually want from dating right now, friendship tops the list. Among those who are not currently dating but open to it, 48% say they’re most interested in friendship with romantic potential, 44% in just talking or flirting, and only 30% in anything committed.

But that doesn’t mean romance is completely out of the picture.

71% say their friends think dating is cool, and 64% say most people their age are dating or trying to. And among the 79% who aren’t currently dating, three in four are open to it – they just aren’t rushing into it. Only 20% have already been in a relationship, compared with 56% of Gen Z who had one during their teen years.

There’s a reason for that. Gen Alpha thinks personal identity and maturity are prerequisites for dating, and view their current age as a time for friendship – they have more teenage years left to gain relationship experience. If they are dating, a large reason is respectful self-exploration. 63% think people their age who are dating are experimenting, and 54% say dating helps you grow up emotionally.

Gen Alpha is also drawing lines and figuring out their values early. 66% think dating more than one person at a time is disrespectful, and 64% believe people should be friends before they date.

This generation is steadily building the social and emotional skills they will eventually carry into more serious relationships, which they expect to find in college and beyond.

A More Connected Future

Gen Alpha is consistent with what they want from dating right now: friendship-first, respect as a baseline, and no huge rush to get anywhere serious.

While we can’t know exactly how Gen Alpha will date five or ten years from now, this first look gives us reason to be hopeful. They want friendship. They believe in romance. They value real-world connection, while remaining open to the technology that can help them find it. 51% are open to using dating apps once they turn 18, and 65% say they’ve heard dating apps can be a fun way to meet people.