Social media use among Canadians has largely rebounded. X (formerly Twitter) stands out as the lone decliner.
TORONTO — May 2025 — After a post‑pandemic dip in 2022, social media account ownership and usage among Canadians have largely rebounded, according to The State of Social Media in Canada 2025, a report released today by the Social Media Lab at the Ted Rogers School of Management, Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). X (formerly Twitter) stands out as the lone decliner, with account ownership sliding from 42% in 2020 to 40% in 2022, and finally to 37% in 2025, marking its first sustained retreat among major platforms.
The State of Social Media in Canada 2025, authored by Dr. Anatoliy Gruzd and Philip Mai, draws from a census-balanced online survey of 1,500 Canadians conducted from February 19 to March 1, 2025. The survey tracks ongoing trends in social media adoption, highlighting shifts in platform popularity, user demographics, and engagement frequency.
“Social media usage has rebounded notably since the COVID-19 era, driven largely by increased adoption of video-oriented platforms like YouTube and Instagram, while interest in X has steadily declined, especially among women,” said Dr. Anatoliy Gruzd, Canada Research Chair and Co‑Director of the Social Media Lab.
Key Findings
- Instagram’s rapid growth – Adoption jumped 12 points to 63%, and monthly engagement rose 15 points to 60% since 2022, one of the biggest surges of any major platform, likely fueled by uncertainty around TikTok’s future.
- YouTube closing in on Facebook – YouTube’s reach climbed 11 points to 73%, making it almost neck‑and‑neck with Facebook for Canadian adults. (This figure doesn’t even include viewers who watch YouTube videos without having an account on the platform.)
- TikTok’s growth is cooling – While its user base grew to 35% (+9 pts), daily use retreated 5 points to 60%, suggesting TikTok is shifting from runaway expansion to market consolidation.
- X (Twitter) is the lone declined – After peaking at 42% in 2020, account ownership has slipped to 37%, down from 40% in 2022, marking the only sustained retreat among the big platforms.
- Age remains one of the adoption predictors – Canadians aged 18–24 lead usage on five of the nine major platforms (e.g., 94% on YouTube, 91% on Instagram, 65% on TikTok), underscoring strong generational divides in social‑media habits.
- Political leanings across social media platforms reveal subtle skews – Self-reported political leaning reveals that right/right-leaning individuals are more prevalent on Platform X (46% vs. 34% left/left-leaning) and TikTok (39% vs. 33%), whereas Pinterest shows a slight leftward tilt (40% vs. 35%). Other major platforms demonstrate near parity (within ±3%), suggesting broad bipartisan appeal.
“Looking ahead, as TikTok continues to expand—now reaching 35% of Canadian adults—under mounting regulatory scrutiny and geopolitical tension, the key question is whether it can sustain its growth, and whether X can finally stabilize its 37% user base or will continue to shed users,” added Philip Mai, Senior Researcher and Co‑Director of the Lab.
For more highlights and details, the full report is available here.
Suggested Citation: Gruzd, A. & Mai, P. (2025). The State of Social Media in Canada 2025. Social Media Lab, Toronto Metropolitan University. DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.28830188
Media Contact
- Philip Mai <[email protected]>
- Social Media Lab, Toronto Metropolitan University
About the Social Media Lab
The Social Media Lab is an interdisciplinary research center at the Ted Rogers School of Management at Toronto Metropolitan University. It studies how social media and other digital technologies are transforming how people and organizations communicate, share information, conduct business, and form communities, as well as the impact these changes have on society. The Lab’s overarching goal is to deepen public understanding of both the benefits and potential drawbacks of technology adoption.