Newcomers to Canada are more likely to engage with AI tools, use social media, and stream vertical video according to the latest Media Technology Monitor (MTM) data.

The 2026 MTM Newcomers release focuses on the media behaviours, technology adoption, and settlement activities of those who’ve arrived in Canada within the past five years, based on a survey of 4,000 newcomers to the country and a control sample of 1,000 native-born Canadians.

Accounting for nearly one-quarter (23%) of the national population, MTM found that nine in 10 newcomers watch short-form vertical video across platforms like YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, Snapchat Spotlight, and TikTok. Newcomers are nearly 50% more likely to watch short-form video than Canadian-born respondents (89% vs. 60%), twice as likely to use YouTube Shorts and five times as likely to use Snapchat Spotlight.

Newcomers are also more engaged with AI tools, according to MTM’s research. Four-fifths (80%) use AI tools, nearly double the adoption rate observed among Canadian-born respondents. International students (80%) and temporary workers (85%) show the highest adoption levels, leveraging a wider variety of AI platforms including Claude, DeepSeek, Perplexity, and Meta AI at more than double the rate of Canadian-born users.

The survey also found that 95% of newcomers use social media, compared to 85% of those Canadian-born. Ninety-four per cent of those new to Canada surveyed indicated that they engage with social video, 20% higher than Canadian-born social networkers. Their platform of choice is Facebook (83%), followed by Instagram (72%) and Whatsapp (62%).

Video calling is particularly important for newcomers (46% vs. 20% for those Canadian born), according to MTM’s findings, with another noticeable gap in the number of newcomers using social media to watch live video (33% vs. 11%).