When I was single, smartphones had really not taken off like they have in the recent decade. There were dating websites but no Tinder, yet. Understanding what I understand now, I'd steer clear of all of that crap and only meet women in person. The talking, little games and so on and so forth are just as vital as they have always been but what the dating app culture has done is totally distort perception of the actual market conditions of many of its participants.
Also, I agree with you on today's young people's social skills, too. But that's on a more general level than just flirting.