The 2025 2025 Nepalese Gen Z protests In September 2025, Nepal found itself in the throes of a major upheaval. What began as a youth-led outcry against a sweeping social-media ban quickly morphed into one of the most intense episodes of civil unrest in the country’s recent history. This is a detailed look at what happened: the roots of the movement, how it unfolded, the human and material toll, and how the turbulence is shifting Nepal’s political landscape. Why the protests erupted Several underlying conditions combined to spark the movement: At the heart of the protest was the government’s decision to ban access to dozens of social-media platforms — including Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), WhatsApp, YouTube, Snapchat and others — after the companies failed to comply with a registration deadline set by the Nepal Telecommunications Authority. While the ban itself was the immediate trigger, the broader context was youth anger at corruption , nepotism , and the flaunting o...