Is Gen Z Ruining 'Love Island'? The Younger Gen's Approach to Love Could Alter Reality TV

If 2025's Season 7 of Love Island feels a little different to you, you're not alone. There seems to be less drama, at least on the set, and people are being a little more mindful about how they pair up and who they do it with.

But is there a reason behind this shift? One TikToker explored the idea behind the concept that Gen Z may be forever changing shows like Love Island, ruining it with their new age concepts of love and commitment. Here's what the TikToker had to say on the topic and why it's a valid concern about Gen Z's relationship plans overall.

On TikTok, the debate about why Love Island feels different in 2025 is going strong. Some people suggest that the political and economic climate has made for some different circumstances, while others have blamed political correctness and a fear of being canceled for why some of the contestants seem more cautious than ever.

However, one TikToker pointed out that Love Island host and narrator Iain Stirling believes that the shift to Gen Z contestants is at the heart of the overall changes that people are noting. In an interview with Capital FM, Iain pointed out that there's a change in how people communicate, no longer relying on passive-aggressive eyerolls and gossip to handle their issues.

And the overall impression that Gen Z just isn't as desperate for love as their predecessors may also be changing the feel of shows like Love Island. TikToker @_ari_not_sorry notes a more fluid sexuality among young adults and less of a desire to commit early and hard, making it so that Gen Z Love Island participants may be shifting away from the desperate drama of the 2010s and into a more measured and communicative form of reality TV love searching.

There is, of course, a larger conversation to be had about the way Gen Z approaches love and how it differs from older generations. These days, dating is more online than ever, with a 2023 Pew Research study finding that 53 percent of people surveyed under the age of 30 report having used some sort of dating app.

But it's not just the availability of dating apps that has the potential to change the way Gen Z interacts with love. They are growing up in an entirely different world from their predecessors did.

Not only did the COVID-19 pandemic change the world in many ways, but there are more pressures on young people than ever when it comes to the climate crisis, economic challenges, and the uncertainty of the future.

In 2024, The New York Post reported on a study that found that half of those aged 18-34 were choosing not to have children due to financial challenges. The study, conducted by an Australian research company called Red Bridge, found that Millennials are not likely to achieve financial stability until well into their forties. For Gen Z, it could take just as long, if not longer.

While having children is not the only reason to find love and enter into a stable relationship, the statistic speaks to the overall landscape for Gen Z relationships.

In general, with many life milestones delayed and the future looking somewhat bleak and uncertain, the idea of settling down and committing to a lifetime of a relationship seems more out of place than ever to many.

So while Gen Z may eventually change their minds and follow in the footsteps of their elders, for now, they're enjoying what they can of life before settling down. And whether or not that means a long-term change for reality TV love shows like Love Island or not remains to be seen. But it's a distinct possibility.