The "Gen-Z Youths on the Streets!" movement, which began on September 8, 2025, was ignited by a combination of immediate government actions and deep-seated societal frustrations among young Nepalis.
The immediate catalyst for the protests was the government’s decision to ban 26 social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, Reddit, and Snapchat, for failing to register with local authorities. This ban was widely perceived as an attempt to suppress dissent, control the digital narrative, and curb freedom of speech. For Generation Z, social media is more than entertainment; it is a vital lifeline for education, business, networking, political expression, and building civic identity. They argued that the ban violated their rights to freedom of expression and access to information.
Beyond this immediate trigger, the protest was fueled by broader, simmering frustrations:
- Systemic Corruption and Entrenched Inequality: Young Nepalis are increasingly frustrated with systemic corruption, widening inequality, and the perceived misuse of political power.
- The "Nepo Kids" Campaign: A significant motivation was a viral social media trend, using hashtags like #NepoKids and #PoliticiansNepoBabyNepal, which exposed the lavish lifestyles of political leaders' children. These posts starkly contrasted images of luxury cars, designer clothing, foreign vacations, and conspicuous consumption among the offspring of senior politicians with the daily struggles of ordinary citizens, such as soaring inflation, unemployment, and the necessity for many youths to seek work abroad. This campaign, inspired by global discussions on nepotism, was re-tooled in Nepal to highlight the unmerited perks enjoyed by political families, translating abstract critiques of inequality into emotionally charged stories. It served as a cathartic response to a political class seen as corrupt and complacent.
- Government Mismanagement and Inaccountability: Frustration over the government's perceived insensitivity, mismanagement, and lack of accountability, particularly in the context of economic hardship and high youth unemployment, significantly contributed to the anger. Youth are discontent with the continuous cycle of the same elderly leaders facing corruption allegations coming into power.
- Demand for Accountability: The movement, deliberately eschewing traditional hierarchical leadership, represents a generational demand for transparency, accountability, and systemic reform in a nation where traditional channels of engagement have fallen short. Young people are using this protest as a "bugle call against the ruling system" and a "creative punch" by a generation adept at digital communication.
These combined factors transformed digital dissent into a large-scale street protest, marking a "generational rupture" and a challenge to entrenched power structures in Nepal.
0 Comments