Earlier this month, Nepal’s Generation Z gave a violent demonstration of their power, setting fire to the parliament building and toppling the government in this small Asian nation. The mass protests and riots came in response to a ban on social media and offer another example of Gen Z’s growing power and leverage, especially in Asia.
Young people in Nepal, a mountainous country of almost 30 million people between India and China, have plenty to be dissatisfied with. Like many developing nations, the youth unemployment rate is incredibly high, at 21 percent. Nepal, in recent years, has become known for persistent high levels of emigration, often to the Middle East or more developed countries in Asia and Oceania, such as Australia and Japan. Young people seeking greater economic opportunity are the primary drivers of this exodus. Corruption is perceived as rampant, and the country took 100th place on Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index in 2024. One of the main triggers for the social media ban and subsequent unrest was the #nepobaby trend, whereupon Nepalis would post photos and videos depicting the extravagant lives of politicians’ children. The wealth shown by this trend stood in deep contrast to the bleak economic picture faced by most young people, helping to breed resentment.
While economic conditions and wealth inequality led to a restless young population, the immediate trigger for spontaneous demonstrations was the social media ban instituted by the government of Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli. Sharma Oli is a member of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist). Sharma Oli had previously served as Prime Minister three times, and—with the support of other parties in Parliament—was serving his fourth stint in the role since July 2024. Sharma Oli is generally known as a relatively pro-China politician in a nation with deep religious and trade ties to India.
On September 4, Sharma Oli’s government ordered the shutdown of 26 social media platforms, including widely used ones such as YouTube and Facebook, ostensibly due to their failure to register with Nepal’s communications ministry under new rules. However, this move was widely perceived as an attempt to stifle criticism of the government and political elite over the #nepobaby trend and other criticisms. While the suppression of free speech is serious in and of itself, the suspension of social media would have had a grave economic impact in Nepal, where 33% of GDP is derived from remittances (money sent by diaspora abroad). Many of these transactions take place through social media, and a shutdown of these platforms would take away vital income for many families.
The public response to the social media ban began in earnest on September 8, when a massive protest erupted in central Kathmandu, the capital. That protest was soon joined by others across the country. The Kathmandu demonstration was partially organized by the Discord channel Hami Nepal, but the protests in general lacked formal leadership. The base of the protests was made up of Nepal’s Gen Z (a large group—Nepal’s median age is 25). While the demonstrations started peacefully, the day ended in violence after security forces shot and killed 17 demonstrators attempting to enter the federal parliament building. This event, quickly labeled a massacre, further incensed the demonstrators. The government withdrew the social media ban in the evening, but by this point, the youth protests had grown into a general anti-government movement. Curfews were imposed in several cities, but did little to stop the unrest.
The next day, Sharma Oli resigned and fled to an army barracks in the town of Shivapuri. Throughout the day, protesters set fire to the parliament building, the supreme court, Sharma Oli’s residence, the president’s residence, and the headquarters of multiple political parties, among many other buildings. Faced with practical anarchy in Kathmandu, the Nepali Army announced in the evening that it would “take responsibility” for civil order in the country, quickly deploying troops to large cities. The head of the army, Ashok Raj Sigdel, reached out to online protest leaders, asking them to nominate a prime minister. After a debate on Discord, in which over 100,000 citizens participated, the former Chief Justice, Sushila Karki, was chosen. On September 12, she was sworn in by President Ram Chandra Poudel, who also dissolved Parliament and called for new elections to be held in May. Since then, protests have dissipated, with the final death toll standing at 61.
While Nepal’s riots and regime change were unique in that they were caused directly by a social media ban, it is part of a recent pattern of Gen Z-driven political movements, often violent, which overthrow or shake political elites in Southeast Asian countries. This trend started in Sri Lanka, where in 2022, youth demonstrators, angered by inflation and crumbling public infrastructure, forced the ouster of the Rajapaksa political dynasty. In Bangladesh, a student movement last year forced longtime ruler Sheikh Hasina to flee the country over perceptions that government job quotas favored her allies. In Indonesia, mass protests this year, initially in outrage over lavish legislative housing stipends, have grown after a 19-year-old delivery driver was run over and killed by a police vehicle.
These violent and momentous events represent the emergence of Gen Z as a formidable political force, with the ability to topple entire governments if it feels its concerns are not listened to. It remains to be seen how far this trend will spread, and whether Western nations will be similarly affected.
