Canadians Call for Action: Majority (84%) Agree Kids Should Be At Least 16 Years Old to Join Social Media Platforms
- Four in five (81%) agree social media harms outweigh the benefits for kids.
- Only one in five (20%) say children have adequate protection on social media and almost all agree that social media shouldn’t sell or share kid’s data (94%).
- Majority of Canadians agree that kids should be at least 16 years old to join social media such as TikTok and Snapchat (84%) and the government should require a minimum age for social media access (81%).
Toronto, ON, Oct 2, 2025 — A recent Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of Unplugged Canada revealed that most Canadians believe social media does more harm than good for kids, with 81% agreeing that “social media harms outweigh the benefits for kids.” This concern is shared across all age groups, genders, and regions. When it comes to safety, only 20% agree that “children have adequate protection on social media (e.g., TikTok, Snapchat),” with younger people more likely to believe protections are sufficient—33% of Gen Z compared to just 11% of Boomers.
There’s near-universal agreement that “social media shouldn’t sell or share kids’ data,” with 94% in favor of protecting children’s privacy. A large majority—84%—also agree that “kids should be at least 16 years old to join social media (e.g., TikTok, Snapchat).” This view is most common among older Canadians, with 90% of Boomers supporting the idea, while about 4 in 5 of Gen Z (79%) and Millennials (78%) also show support.
Finally, 81% agree that “the government should require a minimum age for social media access.” Overall, the data shows Canadians are deeply concerned about kids’ safety and privacy online, and they overwhelmingly support stronger protections and age restrictions.
About the Study
These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between Sept 15 – 18, 2025. For this survey, a sample of 1,001 Canadians aged 18 years and over was interviewed. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics to ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within ±3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had all Canadian adults been polled. The credibility interval will be wider among subsets of the population. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.
For more information on this news release, please contact:
Raymond Vuong
Senior Account Manager, Canada, Public Affairs
[email protected]
About Ipsos
Ipsos is one of the largest market research and polling companies globally, operating in 90 markets and employing nearly 20,000 people.
Our passionately curious research professionals, analysts and scientists have built unique multi-specialist capabilities that provide true understanding and powerful insights into the actions, opinions and motivations of citizens, consumers, patients, customers or employees. Our 75 business solutions are based on primary data from our surveys, social media monitoring, and qualitative or observational techniques.
“Game Changers” – our tagline – summarizes our ambition to help our 5,000 clients navigate with confidence our rapidly changing world.
Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has been listed on the Euronext Paris since July 1, 1999. The company is part of the SBF 120, Mid-60 indices, and is eligible for the Deferred Settlement Service (SRD).
ISIN code FR0000073298, Reuters ISOS.PA, Bloomberg IPS:FP
