Despite news content being blocked on Facebook and Instagram in Canada, a new report reveals that more than one-third of Canadians still consume news on these social media platforms.
As a result, Facebook users are no longer able to access news links or content from Canadian news publishers and broadcasters.
The report indicates that approximately 86 percent of Canadians use Facebook or Instagram monthly, with 70 percent still engaging with news content on Facebook and 65 percent on Instagram, despite the block.
Surprisingly, only 35 percent of platform users were aware of the news ban.
The report also highlights various workarounds that users have employed to bypass the news content block, such as sharing screenshots of news articles or changing URLs.
Engagement Decline
Due to the ban, Canadian news outlets have experienced an 85 percent drop in engagement on Facebook and Instagram. This loss has not been offset by increases on other social media platforms, resulting in an overall 43 percent decrease in engagement.
Authors of the report note a significant impact on the news industry in Canada, particularly for local news outlets that heavily relied on Facebook for content promotion.
Out of 770 news outlets active on the platforms in June 2023, only 555 continued posting on social media in 2024. Approximately 215 outlets, predominantly local news organizations, ceased activity on social media platforms.
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