By now, everyone has seen their social media and new channels flooded with reports about the ‘Gen Z protests’ going on in Nepal. However, the reality is much more serious than it is being reported, and not just a bunch of kids getting angry that they won’t be able to post some Instagram Reels or TikToks anymore.
Nepal has witnessed some of the most intense youth-led protests in decades over the past few days. Although the protests were triggered when the Nepali government, led by Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli, banned 26 social media platforms on September 4, 2025, the real cause of the anger is much bigger.
What Are Nepali Youths Saying?
Social media is buzzing with Nepalis, especially the youth, calling out the international media for using headlines that downplay the severity of their protests.
They claim that many of the media publications covering the protest are using words and phrases like ‘Gen Z,’ or ‘Gen Z protest,’ or ‘social media ban protest’ in their headlines, which makes it seem like the protesters are some dumb kids acting out over a silly thing like a ban on social media.
X/Twitter user @redddalgii, posting about this, wrote, “I need people to be aware that international media are trying to force this narrative that the ‘youth’ of Nepal are protesting because of the recent social media ban. NO, it’s because of the ongoing corruption and the government trying to silence people in Nepal.”
While user @NIBFC tweeted, “I think the overuse of ‘Gen Z’ in headlines is propaganda to make it seem like we’re social media addicts rioting over the stupid ban rather than the nasty state of the country.”
Further adding how “it’s one thing to point out this is heavily youth-led (which is good), but it’s another to keep using ‘Gen Z’ in every single headline or post, people of all ages are showing out this is about all of us, not just some stupid social media ban that you can easily bypass with VPNs”.
Others also posted about this:
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What Is The Real Reason For The Protests?
The protest first started after the Nepalese government, on September 4, 2025, blocked 26 social media platforms, including Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, X, and YouTube.
According to reports, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, in its public notice, stated that they have “ordered the Nepal Telecommunication Authority to make inactive all non-registered social media sites until they are registered.”
The official reason given for this was that these platforms are violating the country’s laws, which require them to register locally, remove flagged content, and appoint grievance handlers. Since these platforms had not done so by the given deadline, they were blocked across the country.
On Monday, September 8, 2025, thousands of Nepali youths took to the streets to protest against this ban. The protests escalated, with 19 people tragically dying and 400 getting injured. Curfew was imposed in Kathmandu and other cities by authorities after the Parliament was breached and the homes of some politicians were targeted.
Nepali citizens, though, have outright criticised their protests as just being over a social media ban and that it is against more serious matters, including corruption and nepotism.
Prateek Pradhan, editor of Baahrakhari, a Nepalese independent news website, as per an AP News report, said, “Protests over the social media ban were just a catalyst. Frustrations over how the country is being run have long been simmering under the surface. People are very angry, and Nepal finds itself in a very precarious situation.”
This is not the first time that the people of Nepal have raised their voice against this, with many also calling out a particular bill by the government that wants to regulate social media by making platforms register and agree to local regulations and supervision from them.
Many claim that this is a way to censor the citizens and surveil and punish those who might be criticising the government online. The recent protests are a way for people to have access to the voice that social media platforms provide to them.
Some reports also suggest that this ban arose after a social media campaign on TikTok was observed, where users posted about the luxurious and wealthy lifestyles of politicians and their children, highlighting the significant divide between how the rich and poor live in Nepal.
There has also been anger about the unemployment rate that hit 20% last year, as per the World Bank, and the government’s lack of action against major corruption cases.
According to reports, people celebrated the resignation of PM Oli; however, they claim that their fight was always about more than just social media being banned.
It was about what the ban represented and how it would have restricted the citizens of Nepal from posting anything wrong that was happening in the country, holding those in power accountable in any manner.
One citizen said, “We are protesting to show that nobody can silence our voices. Social media represented our voice. We could raise issues there… People could click pictures of irregularities, infiltration, corruption and post them there. That’s why the platforms were banned.”
Another said, “This is the motto of our protest. We are fighting against corruption… Hatyara Sarkar (murderous government).”
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: NDTV, AP News, The New Indian Express
Find the blogger: @chirali_08
This post is tagged under: Nepal news, Nepal protest, Nepal prime minister, Nepal social media ban, Nepal social media ban protest, gen z, Nepal Gen Z, Nepal riots, nepal protests gen z, nepal protests social media ban, nepal protests reason, nepal corruption
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