The superstar actress opened up about her online dating trials and tribulations in an interview with The Times Friday ... with Stone saying she's hoping 2024 will be her year to find true love.

So far though ... SS says it's leading to dates with lots of real sketchy dudes instead -- a fact not totally surprising to anyone who's used the apps over the years.

Stone's dates sound a heck of a lot worse than your average "guy lied about his height or job" catfishing ... Sharon actually seems to be attracted to some real stinkers.

For example, Sharon pulled one dude who she later found out was a convicted felon -- and another who she said was "clearly 20,000 heroin injections later than the picture he sent me" ... definitely not hubby material.

And, as for her good matches ... they happened during the pandemic, and Sharon said she never actually met the dudes IRL. Basically, Stone says she mainly acted as a "therapist" of sorts to a recent divorcee and another man who'd been through a breakup after his GF had an abortion -- conversations SS called "rewarding."

One big challenge ... the 65-year-old says she's not on dating apps like Bumble to hook up -- adding she thinks men will basically get it on with anything, like a "warm can of beans," so she doesn't really need to try for sex.

Instead, she's looking for a partner -- Sharon says she doesn't have a set list of criteria, but basically, she'll know it when she feels it. She's not rushing into love -- she's been married twice and has three kids to think of as well -- so she says she's gonna take her time with it.