STATE-SPONSORED SWIPES

Country Launches Government-Run Dating App

A government tech agency wants to combat “swipe fatigue.”

Singapore’s struggling singles are getting some government help. The city-state rolled out a new dating app, called FirstDate, to match lonely public servants with one potential love interest at a time. After receiving their algorithmically selected match, users can try government-provided “Date Quests” to break the ice and potentially qualify for vouchers. Luckily, the program is HR-approved: officials told Singaporean newspaper The Straits Times that love-seekers will not be matched with colleagues from the same agency. The service, which is open to government employees aged 21 to 35, was developed by the Singaporean government’s technology agency as a “different approach to dating” and an antidote to “swipe fatigue.” The project aims to combat the country’s dwindling birth rates, which dropped to a record low of 0.87 children per woman in 2025—well below the population replacement level of 2.1.