Many young Canadians today are encountering political narratives when scrolling through social media without ever opening a news site or turning on the television. These platforms, while sources of entertainment, are shaping how youth view politics, international institutions, and Canada’s role in the world. According to Statistics Canada, social media is the most common outlet for young people aged 15 to 24, with 62% receiving their news or information this way, while Canadians aged 65 years and older are more likely to rely on traditional sources such as television (64%).
This generational shift has considerable implications. When information comes primarily from algorithmic-driven feeds, youth risk being more exposed to disinformation that succeeds in emotionally charged and fast-moving digital spaces. Understanding how these narratives influence political perspectives is critical to safeguarding Canada’s democratic resilience and sustaining support for its role within NATO.
Canadian Youth and the Digital News Environment
Canadian youth are among the most connected populations globally. Platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok have replaced newspapers or televisions as the venues where many learn about policy, international events, and politics.
However, the design of these platforms does not prioritize civic engagement or accuracy. Instead, digital algorithms amplify content that generates strong emotional reactions, regardless of whether the information is factual. Viral memes and short-form videos can rapidly circulate distorted political claims, often without context or attribution. For example, during the 2019 and 2021 Canadian federal elections, researchers found that false or misleading content on immigration, climate policy, and party platforms gained significant traction online. Such material often reached young Canadians in the form of short clips or shareable images, designed for quick consumption rather than careful analysis.
This environment conditions youth to engage with political content in fragmented and simplified ways. The brevity of viral formats makes it harder to provide nuance, leaving space for disinformation to thrive. Therefore, the result is a digital ecosystem that privileges entertainment and speed over accuracy and reflection, ultimately shaping the lens through which young Canadians view politics.
To see how this plays out in practice, we can turn to the impact disinformation is already having on young Canadians’ political perspectives at home.
Disinformation and Domestic Political Perspectives
Disinformation has significant consequences for how Canadian youth perceive domestic politics. One major effect is the amplification of political polarization. A study led by researchers at McGill University found that Canadians who relied on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic were significantly more likely to believe misinformation compared to those who consulted traditional media. Youth, as the heaviest users of these platforms, were particularly affected. This exposure to disinformation spreads false claims and deepens partisan divides by presenting issues in binary, emotionally charged ways.
Immigration is one area where disinformation has had a notable impact. Online narratives have circulated framing newcomers as threats to Canada’s security or economy, resulting in a sharp public opinion shift — with support for immigration dropping from seven in ten Canadians in 2022 to nearly six in ten believing Canada accepts too many immigrants by 2024. These narratives have been widely shared on platforms frequented by youth, shaping conversations about immigration policy in ways disconnected from evidence.
Trust in institutions is another casualty. In 2022, the Edelman Trust Barometer reported declining confidence in government and media among younger Canadians. Disinformation campaigns exploit this skepticism by portraying mainstream media as biased and governments as untrustworthy, nudging youth toward alternative sources that may themselves be unreliable. This erosion of institutional trust both weakens democratic cohesion and fosters a fertile ground for more extreme or conspiratorial narratives to emerge.
These domestic effects carry significant implications beyond Canada’s borders, particularly when they intersect with how youth view international alliances like NATO.
Youth Perspectives on NATO and Foreign Policy
Youth perspectives on NATO reflect the same vulnerabilities seen in domestic politics. While surveys by Nanos Research show that a majority of Canadians support NATO membership, younger Canadians tend to express lower levels of familiarity with the Alliance’s purpose and activities. This knowledge gap leaves space for disinformation to shape impressions on foreign policy. A Postmedia-Leger poll, for instance, found that support for Ukraine is strongest among Canadians aged 55 and older, with 83 percent expressing support, compared to just 58 percent among those aged 18 to 34.
Russia has long targeted NATO in its disinformation campaigns, portraying the Alliance as aggressive, expansionist, and responsible for escalating conflicts, including the war in Ukraine. These narratives often circulate in youth-oriented formats, such as memes and short videos, that oversimplify complex geopolitical issues. The NATO StratCom Centre of Excellence has documented how these campaigns exploit the viral logic of digital platforms to reach younger demographics.
China has also engaged in disinformation efforts, though in more subtle ways. Through state-affiliated media and platforms like TikTok, Beijing promotes narratives framing NATO as destabilizing global order or interfering in regional security. The Brookings Institution noted how these narratives often blend factual reporting with strategic omissions or slanted framing, making them harder for youth to identify as manipulative.
The risk for Canada is that these campaigns, coupled with limited public awareness, may gradually erode youth support for NATO. As younger generations grow into voting citizens and future policymakers, skepticism toward NATO could weaken Canada’s long-term commitment to collective defence.
Addressing these challenges demands strengthening resilience at the personal, social, and institutional level.
Building Youth Resilience
If disinformation is reshaping youth perspectives, the solution cannot rest solely on debunking false claims after they spread. Building resilience requires equipping young Canadians with the tools to critically evaluate the information they encounter and fostering environments that encourage reflective engagement.
Digital literacy is the first line of defence. UNESCO and the OECD have both emphasized the importance of media education as a civic and security imperative. Finland’s approach is widely cited as a model: its national curriculum integrates media literacy at all levels of schooling, and the country is consistently ranked among the most resilient to disinformation in Europe. Canada has made progress through initiatives like the federal Digital Citizen Initiative and the resources developed by NGOs such as MediaSmarts, whose Break the Fake campaign encourages Canadians to verify online information. However, implementation remains uneven across provinces, leaving many young people without systematic training.
Beyond literacy, transparent communication is essential. The Canadian government and NATO can do more to proactively engage youth with accessible and factual information about the Alliance. This might include outreach on campuses, partnerships with youth organizations, or digital campaigns tailored to younger audiences.
Finally, peer-led engagement can play a transformative role. Research shows that young people are more likely to trust information shared by their peers than by institutions. Supporting youth-led workshops, digital campaigns, and online content creation can amplify credible voices and normalize critical engagement among younger demographics.
Taken together, these measures point toward a comprehensive approach to resilience that addresses both the structural features of digital environments and the social contexts in which young Canadians form their views.
A Call for Democratic Resilience
Disinformation is actively shaping how Canadian youth perceive domestic politics and Canada’s role in NATO. By exploiting digital environments where youth spend much of their time, disinformation campaigns amplify polarization, erode trust in institutions, and weaken support for international commitments.
For Canada, the stakes are clear. If left unaddressed, these dynamics could undermine democratic resilience at home and erode the foundations of Canada’s foreign policy abroad. Strengthening digital literacy, fostering transparent communication, and empowering youth as active participants in the information ecosystem are vital for both civic engagement and national security.
By treating youth resilience to disinformation as a priority, Canada can ensure that future generations are not passive recipients of misleading narratives but informed citizens capable of sustaining trust in democracy and supporting Canada’s role within NATO.
Any views or opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the NATO Association of Canada.
Photo retrieved from Mendez & Dietzel’s article on The Conversation, attributed to Shutterstock.
