Nepal Rolls Back Social Media Ban After Violent Gen Z Protests  

Nepal’s government lifted a ban on 26 prominent social media apps and messaging services Tuesday, a day after violent protests rocked the country and saw police firing at demonstrators, killing at least 19 people, the Guardian reported. 

Communication Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung announced that the government had “withdrawn the shutdown of the social media,” hours after thousands of demonstrators attempted to storm the country’s parliament in the capital Kathmandu to protest the ban. 

Nepali police and security forces clashed with protesters, using water cannons, batons and rubber bullets. Witnesses said police fired “indiscriminately,” Reuters added. 

More than 200 people were injured in the unrest.  

The unrest was triggered by a government decision last week to block access to 26 social media platforms, including Facebook, X, and YouTube, according to the Associated Press. 

Officials imposed the ban, they said, because platforms failed to register their companies officially in the country amid a crackdown on social media: The Nepalese government has vowed to eliminate fake social media accounts spreading hate speech and fake news, and committing fraud. The companies that have registered, such as TikTok and Viber, continue to operate. 

The protests, organized by young Nepalese describing themselves as Gen Z – people born between 1995 and 2010 – were an indication of the widespread frustration with the administration of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and its policies by Nepalese youth, analysts told SkyNews. 

Thousands of young people, including many students who joined in their school uniforms, carried signs reading slogans such as “Stop corruption and not social media,” or “Youths against corruption.” 

The clashes led to a curfew across part of the capital, including areas surrounding parliament and the presidential residence. The protests also spread to other cities in the country, including Biratnagar and Bharatpur in the south and Pokhara in the west. 

Nepal’s social media crackdown comes as other countries, including Brazil, India, China, Australia, and others in Europe, are taking steps to impose stricter controls on social media amid growing concern over issues such as fake news, user privacy, and fraud.  

While regulators insist more control is needed to protect users and society, critics say these measures risk curbing freedom of expression.