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Canadians worry about hate speech in Musk's Twitter takeover, poll finds

Some Canadians have abandoned Twitter, citing mental health reasons.
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Many Canadians worry about abusive speech and misinformation under Elon Musk's ownership of Twitter, a new Angus Reid poll shows.

The road to acquiring Twitter has been a bumpy road for billionaire Elon Musk but it’s a deal he has yet to scrap.

Musk, who describes himself as a “free speech absolutist,” argues that Twitter’s moderation of content undermines democracy and suppresses free speech. And 39 per cent of surveyed Canadians agree that Musk’s takeover of the platform would be good for free speech.

New data from the Angus Reid Institute shows half of Canadians believe there would be an increase in hate speech and misinformation if he were to successfully take over the social media platform.

In particular, a majority of past Liberal and NDP voters shared this concern, while past Conservative Party voters said they are more likely to use Twitter under Musk’s ownership.

The survey reveals that men are more likely to use Twitter than women if Musk acquires it, whereas women are more likely to delete their accounts.

Leaving Twitter for mental health

Social media can be a useful tool to connect and communicate with peers and loved ones. But for many users, it can also take a toll on their mental health.

For half of Canadians, their social media activity has increased since the beginning of the pandemic.

Thirty-two per cent of Canadians have quit at least one social media platform, with Twitter being the one that Canadians are most likely to abandon. And among this group, one-quarter said they did it for their mental health.

Two in five women under 35 said they quit a social media app because of its impact on mental health. And while 31 per cent of men under 35 reported a similar reason, 37 per cent of men between 18 and 34 quit a platform because they didn’t agree with the content or opinions.