Half of Canadian teens watched Charlie Kirk assassination video online, new study estimates

Winnipeg, Canada — A new joint study by researchers at DIY: Digital Safety and the Canadian Centre for Child Protection (C3P) found that a large majority of young people in Canada are exposed to content featuring real violence and gore, primarily on mainstream social media platforms.

The study, based on results of a national survey of more than 1,000 young people aged 13 to 18 living in Canada, found:

• 85% of youth said they have seen real-world violence or gore online;
• 50% of youth watched the Charlie Kirk assassination video, while 33% had seen videos of a mass or school shooting;
• 10% reported exposure to child sexual abuse material, while 13% had seen a video of adults being sexually abused;
• Exposure was most common on YouTube® (44%), TikTok® (42%) and Instagram® (31%).

“For me [the worst videos are] animal torture and I don’t want to think about it or talk about it anymore it upsets me.”

- Quote from a survey participant describing content they’ve seen on social media.

Despite these high rates of exposure, only a small minority of teens (7%) said they actively searched for the content. Instead, most said the content frequently appears unexpectedly in posts by strangers (39%) or in algorithmic platform recommendations (33%).

“This study reveals that millions of young Canadians are being exposed to some really troubling images and videos on popular social media platforms. Reading all the first-hand descriptions of the content teens told us they saw online was a very unsettling experience,” said lead author Alexa Dodge, Associate Professor in Criminology at Saint Mary's University, a member of the DIY: Digital Safety research team.

“Most teens told us they don’t want to see this content and that it has a negative impact on their wellbeing,” said Dodge. "There was generally a shared view that this type of content should have content warnings, or even be outright banned."

The study also found gaps in platform responses or practices, including barriers to reporting content and the non-removal or inaction by the online services upon receipt of a content complaint.

“The fact that children and youth are encountering content of this nature simply by participating in everyday online environments should raise alarm bells at the highest levels,” said Lianna McDonald, Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection.

“To say this exposure is accidental would be letting these platforms off the hook,” said McDonald. “Very conscious technical design decisions went into shaping the content our children see in these environments, and Canada needs a regulatory framework to ensure companies are required to put the wellbeing of its most vulnerable users first.”

The full report, including detailed findings and policy recommendations, is available at the following links:

DIY: Digital Safety

Canadian Centre for Child Protection