{"id":5179,"date":"2026-02-19T13:31:25","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T13:31:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/convergencemag\/?p=5179"},"modified":"2026-02-24T14:55:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T14:55:14","slug":"bill-c-18-consequences-on-canadians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/convergencemag\/bill-c-18-consequences-on-canadians\/","title":{"rendered":"Bill C-18 consequences on Canadians\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>A person walks past Mark Zuckerberg is a WANTED man poster during the COVID-19 pandemic in<br>Toronto on Tuesday, June 2, 2020. FRIENDS of Canadian Broadcasting will launch WANTED, a<br>provocative national campaign to focus public and political attention on rules that allow Facebook to<br>profit from content created by Canadian news outlets without permission or compensation. THE<br>CANADIAN PRESS\/Nathan Denette<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>By Rosemary Jaramillo<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When 22-year-old Alexandra Shvarzam scrolls through TikTok or X, formerly Twitter, she feels informed. Between trending stories and viral threads, it seems like she\u2019s keeping up with what\u2019s happening in the world.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But ask her about Bill C-18, the Canadian law behind why her Instagram feed no longer shows national news, and she pauses. She\u2019s never heard of it. She\u2019s not alone. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite the sweeping impact of Bill C-18, also known as the Online News Act, many young Canadians remain unaware of its existence. The legislation, passed in 2023, requires platforms such as Facebook and Google to compensate Canadian news organizations for sharing or hosting their content.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In response, Meta blocked access to news on Facebook and Instagram in Canada. Google briefly threatened to do the same before reaching an agreement with the federal government.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But on the ground, that debate between tech giants and lawmakers feels far removed from students like Shvarzman. In interviews with several young Canadians, only one recognized the bill by name. Most say they hadn\u2019t noticed the block or understood why Canadian news had quietly vanished from their feeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How have Canadians access news over the years<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"flourish-embed flourish-chart\" data-src=\"visualisation\/26608497\"><script src=\"https:\/\/public.flourish.studio\/resources\/embed.js\"><\/script><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/public.flourish.studio\/visualisation\/26608497\/thumbnail\" width=\"100%\" alt=\"chart visualization\" \/><\/noscript><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cem.ulaval.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/cem_digital_news_report_2024_habits.pdf#:~:text=households%20are%20less%20likely%20to%20primarily%20access,22%25%29%20for%20news%20than%20the%20general%20population\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.cem.ulaval.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/cem_digital_news_report_2024_habits.pdf#:~:text=households%20are%20less%20likely%20to%20primarily%20access,22%25%29%20for%20news%20than%20the%20general%20population\">News Consumption Habits in Canada | Digital News Report 2025<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The lack of awareness reflects a broader shift in how young Canadians consume information. According to the Digital News Report 2024, only 14 per cent of Canadians aged 18 to 44 say they primarily access news through dedicated news websites or apps. While 29 per cent rely on social media to stay informed, a trend that leaves them vulnerable to missing key stories filtered out by the platforms themselves.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That shift hasn\u2019t gone unnoticed. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s been pretty negative,\u201d said Dr. Michael Geist, a law professor at the University of Ottawa and Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law, when describing the overall impact of Bill C-18. \u201cThe effects were predictable and predicted. It\u2019s come to pass.\u201d &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since the law came into effect, Meta has blocked Canadian news on Facebook and Instagram, a move Geist says has had \u201ca pretty significant impact\u201d on publishers. Google, meanwhile, reached an agreement with the federal government to avoid similar restrictions. However, Geist noted traffic patterns may still be shifting due to other factors such as AI-driven changes to search.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He described Meta\u2019s approach as uprising. \u201cNews was not, and is not, viewed as particularly valuable for them,\u201d Geist says. \u201cNews link sends users away from the platform, not onto the platform.\u201d &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meta is much happier having users post pictures of family or memes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Geist says that business logic helps explain why the company \u201csteadfastly stood by that approach\u201d to block news entirely. Google, on the other hand, maintained its access to news content, given its \u201ccorporate imperative\u201d to provide a comprehensive search product.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even with Google\u2019s payments through the new collective, Geist questioned whether the legislation has helped at all. \u201cIt certainly hasn\u2019t had the impact that I think its proponents had hoped,\u201d he said. \u201cThe notion that somehow this would solve the challenges faced by some in legacy media, I think, is quite clearly not proven to be the case.\u201d &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For students, the consequences of the bill don\u2019t show up in policy debates or newsroom revenue. They show up in the quiet absence of Canadian stories from the places they scroll every day.&nbsp; &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jessica Davenport, a previous Georgian College student, didn\u2019t realize anything had changed until she was told directly. She still sees news on Instagram and YouTube Shorts, just not from Canadian outlets. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI think I got so used to seeing news on my feed that maybe I just didn\u2019t notice that it\u2019s like not there as much anymore,\u201d she say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Like many young people interviewed, Davenport hadn\u2019t heard of Bill C-18 before. Once she learned what it did, her reaction was blunt: \u201cThat feels stupid to me.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Davenport said she worries about what that gap means for young people who depend on social platforms to stay informed. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She believes that younger generations are \u201cplugged in all the time\u201d and that news should not \u201cbe gate-kept from the people that it\u2019s directed toward.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She believes access to Canadian news is essential, even for those who aren\u2019t heavy consumers. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI do think it\u2019s a basic human right to be kept informed of what\u2019s going on in your own country and your home,\u201d Davenport says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other students echoed that uncertainty. The block hasn\u2019t dramatically changed how they scroll, but it has changed what they see and what they don\u2019t.&nbsp; &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For Mariana Martinez-Vega, a journalism and political science graduate now studying law abroad, the shift in social media news is both jarring and nuanced. She prefers reading news directly from websites rather than social media, wary of misinformation and the echo chambers that algorithms can create.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For Martinez-Vega, the absence of Canadian news on platforms like Instagram feels less like protection from misinformation and more like censorship. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cRather than them protecting us from misinformation,\u201d she says. \u201cIt feels more like they are censoring.\u201d &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Martinez-Vega\u2019s perspective highlights a segment of young Canadians who actively seek credible sources but are affected by platform restrictions. For students trying to contribute to news, smaller or emerging outlets now face higher barriers to reaching an audience. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For some students, the legislation is seen as having good intentions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Julia Vellucci, a Humber Polytechnic journalism graduate, says she understood the legislation as an attempt to help news organizations by compensating them for using their content. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For her, the bill\u2019s intention made sense, especially as someone entering an industry where compensation often doesn\u2019t match the labour involved. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou want these news organizations to be entitled to get what they deserve\u201d, she says, noting that journalists put extensive work that isn\u2019t always financially rewarded. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But despite understanding the rationale, she was frustrated by the fallout. She questioned whether blocking news was achieving anything meaningful. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou can still get that news in other ways,\u201d she said. \u201cSo I don\u2019t really understand what the whole point of it was.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Percentage of U.S. adults who say they regularly get news on each social media site<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"flourish-embed flourish-chart\" data-src=\"visualisation\/26608206\"><script src=\"https:\/\/public.flourish.studio\/resources\/embed.js\"><\/script><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/public.flourish.studio\/visualisation\/26608206\/thumbnail\" width=\"100%\" alt=\"chart visualization\" \/><\/noscript><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/journalism\/fact-sheet\/social-media-and-news-fact-sheet\/\">PEW Research: Social Media and News Fact Sheet (2025)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That confusion deepened as the block persisted. Vellucci said she initially expected it to be temporary, maybe lasting only until platforms and the government negotiated some way to compensate outlets.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She says for young journalists, the consequences were especially discouraging. As someone trying to share her Humber news work at the time, she felt the block undercut the visibility students rely on. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She recalled posting her stories just to see Instagram refuse to open them. It said nobody can view her work because the URL contained the word \u2018news\u2019. For Vellucci, this left her frustrated because she just wanted people to notice her work. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vellucci argued that blocking access on the platforms most young people use doesn\u2019t strengthen the relationship between audiences and Canadian news; it weakens it, specifically, for those relying solely on social media. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the same time, she emphasized that newsletters and official news websites remain unaffected, which means people can still access journalism, but only if they already know to look beyond social platforms.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ultimately, she said, the situation shifted her sense of journalism\u2019s place in democracy. The idea of removing an entire mode of access, she said, runs counter to the idea of keeping the public informed. \u201cJournalism, I think of it as a multi-media platform,\u201d she says. \u201cSince you got rid of that social media, it\u2019s just kind of like, okay, you\u2019re doing this to make a point, how long can you make this point for?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While students are navigating the immediate, day-to-day consequences of the block, experts say their experiences point to a much larger systematic shift in how Canadian journalism is produced, accessed and sustained.&nbsp; &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Professor Sherry Yu, an associate professor at the University of Toronto, emphasizes the broader systemic implications of Bill C-18 for Canadian journalism. Yu points out that while the act aims to support Canadian news organizations, its regulations unintentionally exclude smaller outlets. For example, media organizations must employ at least two full-time journalists to qualify for compensation, making one-person operations or very small publications ineligible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She explains that the legislation is the product of multiple stakeholders, making its intentions complex and sometimes difficult to disentangle. The outcome has been uneven, with major organizations benefiting more than smaller ones. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She says Bill C-18 affects both production and consumption. Students and younger audiences often play hybrid roles: they are not only consumers of news but also contributors, posting opinions online or seeking to publish their work through smaller outlets. Restrictions on digital platforms reduce these opportunities, making it harder for emerging voices to reach audiences. For news consumers, limited access to certain platforms requires finding alternative ways to stay informed, which can create confusion or increase exposure to misinformation during this transitional period.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yu cautions that young audiences cannot be easily generalized. Awareness and engagement vary widely: some know about the act and resources it provides, while others remain unaware. Their responses to these changes differ accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Regarding the legislation itself, Yu notes that its regulations are imperfect and could have been better tailored to the needs of small, financially vulnerable outlets. The unintended consequences have left some organizations disappointed and navigating a more complicated news environment. While the full impact of Bill C-18 is still emerging, it is clear that the effects will vary depending on the size and structure of the media organization, as well as the ways audiences engage with news content. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For students like Davenport and Shvarzam, the absence of Canadian stories on social media is confusing, while young journalists like Vellucci feel their work\u2019s visibility is undermined. Experts like Yu say that smaller outlets face new obstacles, even as larger organizations benefit. As the digital news landscape evolves, awareness and initiative will be key for younger audiences to stay informed and for journalism to remain<br>relevant.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A person walks past Mark Zuckerberg is a WANTED man poster during the COVID-19 pandemic inToronto on Tuesday, June 2, 2020. FRIENDS of Canadian Broadcasting will launch WANTED, aprovocative national campaign to focus public and political attention on rules that allow Facebook toprofit from content created by Canadian news outlets without permission or compensation. THECANADIAN [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5231,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1,359],"tags":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/convergencemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/CP1732686167-scaled.jpg",2560,1894,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/convergencemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/CP1732686167-160x160.jpg",160,160,true],"medium":["https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/convergencemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/CP1732686167-640x473.jpg",640,473,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/convergencemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/CP1732686167-768x568.jpg",696,515,true],"large":["https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/convergencemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/CP1732686167-1280x947.jpg",696,515,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/convergencemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/CP1732686167-1536x1136.jpg",1536,1136,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/convergencemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/CP1732686167-2048x1515.jpg",2048,1515,true],"td_150x0":["https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/convergencemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/CP1732686167-150x111.jpg",150,111,true],"td_218x150":["https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/convergencemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/CP1732686167-218x150.jpg",218,150,true],"td_300x0":["https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/convergencemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/CP1732686167-300x222.jpg",300,222,true],"td_324x400":["https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/convergencemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/CP1732686167-324x400.jpg",324,400,true],"td_485x360":["https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/convergencemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/CP1732686167-485x360.jpg",485,360,true],"td_696x0":["https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/convergencemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/CP1732686167-696x515.jpg",696,515,true],"td_1068x0":["https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/convergencemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/CP1732686167-1068x790.jpg",1068,790,true],"td_1920x0":["https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/convergencemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/CP1732686167-1920x1420.jpg",1920,1420,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"convergencemag","author_link":"https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/convergencemag\/author\/convergencemag\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"A person walks past Mark Zuckerberg is a WANTED man poster during the COVID-19 pandemic inToronto on Tuesday, June 2, 2020. FRIENDS of Canadian Broadcasting will launch WANTED, aprovocative national campaign to focus public and political attention on rules that allow Facebook toprofit from content created by Canadian news outlets without permission or compensation. THECANADIAN&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/convergencemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5179"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/convergencemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/convergencemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/convergencemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/convergencemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5179"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/convergencemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5179\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5235,"href":"https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/convergencemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5179\/revisions\/5235"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/convergencemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5231"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/convergencemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5179"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/convergencemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5179"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/convergencemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}