Nepal Social Media Ban Explained: Why Facebook, YouTube & X Were Blocked
On September 4, 2025, Nepal’s government instituted a total ban on 26 of the most popular social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp, X, Reddit and LinkedIn. This was based on a ruling of the Supreme Court which required platforms to be registered with officials in Nepal, and to establish local channels for grievances. Very few platforms complied—TikTok, Viber, WeTalk, Nimbuzz and Poppo Live—and so were available in Nepal.
Government officials claimed the reason for the ban was to combat fake news, hate speech, cybercrime, and misinformation. However, critics warn that the ban is an extremely dangerous advance towards censorship which, ultimately, undermines free expression, and builds barriers against informed public discourse and democracy.
Gen Z Protests in Nepal: Youth Take to Streets Against Social Media Ban
The ban provoked an uproar of dissent among Nepal’s youth — young people generally and Gen Z specifically, which is defined as people born from 1995 through 2010 — who demonstrated in the streets all across the country. Protests began at Maitighar Mandala in Kathmandu, and protesters moved toward the Parliament in New Baneshwor chanting slogans and waving flags such as:
“Shut down corruption, not social media”
“Unban social media”
“Youths against corruption”
These protests soon became the largest youth-led uprising in recent Nepali history, driven not only by anger over digital censorship, but also by widespread dissatisfaction with political corruption and autocratic governance.
Protests in Kathmandu: Violence, Curfews, and Casualties Reported
Authorities responded with force: using tear gas, water cannons, rubber bullets, and batons, police attempted to disperse the crowds. Some protesters breached barricades and temporarily entered parts of the parliamentary complex, escalating tensions.
Casualty figures vary across reports:
- 1 person killed, 50+ injured
- Some accounts reported up to 6 fatalities, dozens more wounded
- Local outlets claimed 14 protesters killed, over 42 injured
In response, curfews were imposed around Parliament and key areas of Kathmandu. The Army was deployed, and protests spread to cities like Biratnagar, Bharatpur, and Pokhara.
Digital Rights in Danger: Impact of Nepal Social Media Shutdown 2025
This crackdown represents a major intensification of digital authoritarianism. Human rights organizations and journalists around the world are condemning the ban as an attack on press freedom and freedom of expression.
For Nepal’s 30 million people with internet access, which represents about 90% of the population, access to these forms of social media is fundamental to communications, business and education. The shutdown has severed potential diaspora links and escalated economic anxiety.
Gen Z Uprising in Nepal: From Online Outrage to Street Revolution
What began as online outrage turned into full-on uprising. Gen Z Nepalis used their proficiency with digital literature to organize in person and stood as the face of a movement demanding accountability, transparency in governance, and respect for digital rights. Observers are calling this a digitally born rebellion evolving into a national reckoning
Nepal Social Media Ban 2025 Sparks Historic Digital Freedom Fight
Nepal’s sweeping ban on platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and X pushed a generation to act—resulting in a deadly clash between youthful dissent and state control. As Gen Z fights back, the world watches: will digital freedoms survive this crackdown… or will the streets of Kathmandu mark the frontline of a broader war on expression?
