Research shows Canadians are using Facebook less as a source of news

One year after Meta began blocking journalism, Canadians are engaging less with news on Facebook, new data from the Canadian edition of the Digital News Report shows.

The study shows that the trend was underway before Meta’s decision to block Canadian journalism but also reveals the downward trend in engagement is reflected in countries where news content remains accessible.

In an article published by The Conversation, researchers Colette Brin and Sébastien Charlton show that the use of Facebook for news has dropped in Canada by 21 percentage points since 2016. This data also reflects how more adults aged 18 to 34 have been leaving Facebook.

The article also provides insightful data on the ability of Canadians to distinguish trustworthy news on social platforms and concerns around artificial intelligence.