There’s a very specific kind of regret that only exists in the seconds after you press ‘send.’ Your heart races, your stomach drops and suddenly you’re praying for your phone to go on airplane mode. Because nothing, not a bad haircut or a failed exam, haunts us quite like the texts we wish we hadn’t sent.
In order to properly explore this digital age where relationships begin and sometimes end through screens, we asked students at Kingston University to share their worst messages. These ‘confessions’ highlight not just personal embarrassment, but how the modern dating landscape, particularly for Gen Z, is radically different from anything previous generations experienced.
Confessions from our readers:
“I regret texting my ex that I miss her”
“I sent an apology text to an ex-partner of mine that had been generated by Chat-GPT. I forgot to remove the AI response header after pasting it”
“I texted an ex Halfway through this bag of coke I realised how beautiful you are”
“Anything I send to my ex situationship every day (please don’t tell my best friend)”
“Asking my ex to get back together for the FOURTH time”
“‘Ur still at my place’ sent to my situationship in the morning after a night out about a guy I met after he left. We don’t talk anymore. Lol.”
“I regret telling my ex that I loved her when I didn’t mean it completely and I just wanted to feel some connection in the screwed up relationship again”
If these texts feel unhinged, that’s because love in our era often is. Consider the data; according to ZipDo, 58% of Gen Z say texting is their preferred way of dating communication. Meanwhile, a study by Tinder found nearly half (43%) of British singles admit they’re weighed down by digital dating clutter, old chats or unsent drafts.
The chaos is more than just messy inboxes, it’s emotional. Just over three quarters of Gen Z (77%) say dating feels more complicated now than it did for older generations citing social media pressure, constant availability and the blurred line between casual and committed (Hinge, 2024). Every ‘hey’ becomes a thesis, every typing bubble a panic attack. Tinder fatigue is real: the endless swiping, ghosting and ‘what are you doing tonight?’ texts have turned romance into admin.
The new rules of love aren’t really rules at all, they are negotiations: between honesty and irony., being emotionally available and not wanting to seem ‘too keen’, between craving connection and fearing rejection. And while some of our messages deserve to stay unsent, they also remind us that behind every typo and emoji is just a person trying, badly and bravely, to be understood.
