Feed me reels: Quebecers spending more time on social media

A study showed that social media users cannot resist checking their feeds during leisure times. (Rick Rycroft/The Associated Press)

A study from Université Laval has found that Quebecers are on social media almost an hour more per day than a year ago.

A NETendances survey with the university’s Academy of Digital Transformation (ATN) is finding that users in the province are spending three hours and 41 minutes per day on a platform, 51 minutes more than a year ago.

The Reel World

Men (72 more minutes) and users over 55 years old (77 more minutes) showed the highest increase in social media consumption.

Vertical videos seem to be the catalyst for changed habits as users say they are spending around two hours more per day (three hours 48 minutes compared to one hour 47 minutes) on TikTok and Instagram than on other platforms.

“These platforms rely on increasingly sophisticated recommendation algorithms, capable of accurately anticipating content likely to capture attention,” said head researcher Astrid Alemao. “They also continuously optimize their interfaces using micro-adjustments tested on a large scale in order to extend the time spent online.”

Got to bed! But check your phone first

All age groups say they struggle to stop checking their feeds during downtime, according to the study.

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More than half (53 per cent) of social media users say they check their Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or X during leisure time.

Many say they’re also scrolling while in bed.

The apps are frequently accessed at bedtime (41 per cent) and in the early mornings (38 per cent).

For those aged 18 to 34 years old, 72 per cent say they check their phones as soon as they wake up, and 65 per cent do it before falling asleep.

In that age group, 52 per cent say they scroll during meals, and 51 per cent say they have their phones out and active in the bathroom.

“Checking them becomes automatic, and the total time spent on social media increases almost without the user being fully aware of it,” said Université Laval digital and social networking professor Alex Baudet.

Fighting the urge

Though numbers are rising, users admit they are trying to cut back.

Almost half of those surveyed (47 per cent) say they are working on strategies to limit use.

Disabling notifications (25 per cent), unsubscribing from pages or accounts (21 per cent) or deleting the app (20 per cent) are some strategies users mentioned.

Local streams on the rise

The survey also finds that Canadian and Quebec video platforms such as Crave (25 per cent growth) and Club Illico (18 per cent growth) are increasing in Quebec, while others fell, such as Disney+ (down three per cent to 21 per cent).

Netflix saw a decrease from 54 to 52 per cent of users, and Amazon Prime Video dropped from 41 to 39 per cent.