Nepal’s Gen Z is protesting corruption in the aftermath of ridiculous social media ban

On September 5, Nepal government banned 26 “social media”, including Facebook, X, and YouTube citing a decision from the Supreme Court to make laws regarding social media and implementing a directive (not a full law). Gen Z, which has been following politics closely, despite them being labelled as “keyboard warriors”, “screen junkies”, and “immature”, has taken a lead and is coming up in the streets today.

The government’s reasoning behind the social media ban

The government has been insisting that the social media companies of foreign origin have been earning from Nepal and haven’t paid any taxes. They should register in Nepal and set up an office. They should place employees who monitor content created in Nepal and moderate the content and creator behaviour, including anonymity and posts and comments against the government.

Nepal, however, does not have a proper law for social media regulation. The bill is still under discussion in the parliament. A couple of years ago, the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (MoCIT) had issued a directive to regulate social media based on the Electronic Transaction Act, 2006. Most companies did not comply with the directive. After all, directives are often used for exceutive procedures.

TikTok, Viber, and three companies, however, came up for registration under the directive after the TikTok ban. That’s what encouraged the government to implement the ban.

Hidden motives behind the social media ban

There are lies and hidden motives behind the social media ban.

First, the government is lying that social media like Facebook and YouTube aren’t paying taxes. Although they have not been paying income taxes because they don’t have offices in Nepal, they have been paying taxes (see: 20 companies including TikTok and Netflix start paying taxes to Nepal and From Google to Meta, paid for in Nepal 41 crore tax).

Second, the government, its coalition parties, and politicians face a huge amount of criticism on social media. At times, the criticisms become hateful and threatening as well. In such cases, individuals have to be sorted out and brought to justice, but the government is hellbent on banning everybody.

When the government banned PUBG in 2019, I had a hunch that the government could ban social media. The TikTok ban of last year also proved that they could do anything. Media regulation is a central conflict in my story Swatantrata Sangram as well. However, I had only half-expected the current ban. American companies were involved, and given the way the American government protects its companies and free speech, I had not expected Nepal to implement the ban. The government did it, however, because it could.

The government has been showing authoritative tendencies for some time now. It doesn’t listen to dissent and even kills those who protest it. The trauma might have silenced many, but the rage is brewing.

Gen Z reacts

Gen Z is the generation that has seen the internet since its birth. It roughly includes those born between 1997 and 2012. (Some include those from 1995 to early 2010s.) Based on various definitions, I am sometimes Gen Z, sometimes not. And I believe the definitions of generations are arbitrary and artificial. But these are the youth, mostly in their teens and 20s filled with enthusiasm, self-respect, love for freedom, and advocacy for work-life balance. They are smart and know their worth.

They have dodged the ban. PUBG ban could not stop them, neither did the Tiktok ban. They won’t stop now either. They started the “nepo baby” trend on Tiktok inspired by the Philippines and Indonesia. Despite the “ban”, they are discussing the course of action on Facebook, Reddit, Discord and X. They are truly unstoppable when it comes to the worldwide web. How they will do in the streets is yet to be seen.

The generation gap

But the government is disconnected from Gen Z. These “little babies”, the politicians often say, are incapable of understanding the world beyond social media. They believe that they don’t know politics and flee from responsibilities. They are so wrong about Gen Z.

Yes, many Gen Z youth are not involved in politics, are leaving Nepal, and seem to mind their own business. It’s not because they don’t understand politics. They understand it well enough not to indulge in something that has been polluted by corruption, nepotism, and favouritism. They understand that Nepal often does not recognise their worth and talent. Most of them still hope that Nepal will become better if corruption and the corrupted are punished.

If Gen Z have been disillusioned by the acts of politicians and corrupt bureaucrats, who is to be blamed? Blaming a generation in its formative years is ridiculous. Mocking their rage is stupid. Now they have decided to get involved in politics. They are the leaders. They are the future. I’m hopeful they will show what leadership should be.