From Likes to Lightning: How Nepal’s Gen Z Turned a Ban into a Firestorm

Niraj Kumar

Bhubaneswar, 8^th September, 2025

Yesterday evening, Nepal was barely a whisper in the news cycle. By tonight, it is everywhere, on every news channel, every social feed, every conversation. Lightning fast. What startled me most was not just the speed, but the sheer intensity of it all. Frankly, I had no inkling that beneath the calm surface of this small, beautiful Himalayan kingdom, home to peace-loving, god-fearing people, there was a storm waiting to break.

The Spark: A Ban That Backfired

When Nepal’s government blocked access to major social media platforms namely, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, Reddit, it thought it just was enforcing regulation and following what supreme court had ordered and which is in larger interest of the country.  Instead, it lit the spark for one of the country’s most intense youth-led movements.

What began as anger over a ban quickly transformed into a nationwide outcry against corruption and privilege. At the center of it all was Generation Z, the first truly digital-native generation. Their reliance on social media made the ban feel like an assault on freedom, identity, and community. The result? An explosive combination that leaders underestimated.

Photo Credit: Mint

Why Gen Z Saw the Ban as a Betrayal?

To older policymakers, blocking social platforms may have seemed like a technical fix against fake accounts and misinformation. But for Gen Z, social media is a digital lifeline. It’s where they learn, express, shop, connect, campaign and live.

Unlike generations before Gen Z, who consumed news passively on television or in print, Gen Z is a generation of creators. They don’t just read stories, they make memes, reels, and hashtags that shape their lives and lifestyles. So, the ban was seen not as a regulation, but as censorship.

From Outrage to Wildfire

“Misinformation control,” claimed the government. But the youth saw through it instantly. To them, it was not about protecting truth—it was about protecting power.

Distrust of institutions: Having grown up with political instability and repeated corruption scandals, Gen Z assumes that leaders act in self-interest. To them, the ban looked like an attempt to control dissent.

Deeper frustrations: Youth unemployment, nepotism, and lack of accountability were already simmering. Social media was where these issues were openly discussed. By shutting it down, the government seemed to be shielding the elite.

Attack on equality: The popular discourse around “nepo kids” (privileged children of leaders) found traction online. Cutting off platforms was interpreted as protecting privilege by silencing criticism.

Photo credit: NDTV

The ban acted like a match dropped into a room full of dry straw: the grievances were waiting; the spark came from censorship. Mobilization was rapid. Students used VPNs, encrypted apps, and platforms still accessible to organize marches. The movement was leaderless, grassroots, and fuelled by peer influence, harder to suppress than party-led protests.

Anger spread virally. Outrage, psychologists note, is more contagious than joy. Hashtags, memes, and word-of-mouth quickly made the protests feel like a national wave. Add to this global inspiration from youth uprisings in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh Nepal’s youth found both courage and legitimacy.

The Psychology of Digital Natives

The outrage cannot be understood without looking at how Gen Z’s brains and behaviours are wired to social media.

Dopamine and withdrawal: Likes, comments, and shares trigger reward circuits. When platforms go dark, it feels like forced withdrawal.

Identity validation: social media is not entertainment; it is self-expression. Losing access is like losing a part of oneself.

Peer belonging: From WhatsApp groups to viral trends, Gen Z’s social lives are networked. A ban isolates them, so protests become a substitute form of belonging.

Reactance: Psychologists call it “reactance”,  when freedoms are curtailed, people double down in defiance. The ban provoked not compliance but rebellion.

Catharsis for anger: Youth already anxious about jobs and corruption turned the protests into a cathartic outlet for deeper frustrations.

In short, the ban was not just political; it was psychological, striking at identity, social bonds, and daily coping mechanisms.

So, the Point is clear: Ignore Gen Z at Your Peril

The Nepal episode underscores a global reality: social media is now the nervous system of Gen Z politics. It is where they challenge corruption, express grievances, and coordinate action.

The promise is clear -digital platforms empower youth to hold leaders accountable and demand change. The peril is equally real - anger can spread faster than reason, and leaderless protests risk volatility without direction.

The combination of Gen Z and social media is both powerful and perilous. For this generation, digital platforms are not optional -they are identity, community, and political space rolled into one, their inseparable world. Blocking them is not like flipping a switch; it is like silencing an entire generation.

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