Canada’s Internet Factbook finds social media as “toxic” and “addictive”

The 2023 Internet Factbook from CIRA has been released with the latest data on internet usage in Canada. Every year CIRA shares data on how Canadians are really using the internet and tracks how those habits are changing.

Half of the population (50%) spends more than 5 hours connected daily, up from 36% in 2016. Canadians spend a significant amount of time online, whether connecting with friends and family, working or reading the news.

A quarter (24%) of Canadians feel that social media is harmful and that number continues to climb. In 2023 only 18% find social media beneficial. Facebook remains the most “toxic” platform and reports of Instagram as “most addictive” have increased over time.

One of the key findings also highlights that the most common way of accessing news online is by visiting specific news/media sites (30%). More than half (52%) of those surveyed reported spending time online for news and current events.

Canada’s Internet Factbook 2023 State of the Internet report is based on an online survey of 2,000 Canadian internet users, conducted in March 2023. The full report, including methodology, can be downloaded by clicking here.