Expert insight: Digital safety researchers find most teens see violence online – without seeking it out
A Western-based survey of more than 1,000 Canadian teens found 85 per cent had seen online violence or gore, and most had not looked for it.
Researchers at DIY: Digital Safety, a Western-based project, worked with the Canadian Centre for Child Protection in early 2026 to survey more than 1,000 Canadian teens aged 13 to 18. The authors, including Western postdoctoral fellows Charlotte Nau and Christopher Dietzel and Canada Research Chair Kaitlynn Mendes, wrote up the findings in The Conversation, republished here.
Eighty-five per cent had seen at least one type of violent or gory content online, and half had seen footage of Charlie Kirk’s death. Teens mostly saw it on YouTube (44 per cent) and TikTok (42 per cent). Only seven per cent had searched for it, and 69 per cent wanted to see less.
Only 11 per cent used reporting tools. One in three who did not report said they did not know how.
The authors urge platforms to stop amplifying such content and to turn off autoplay. They note that Canada’s proposed Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act, would require digital safety plans, though enforcement is unclear.
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