In the span of just one week in September 2025, Nepal was rocked by an unprecedented wave of unrest that would redraw its political map and catapult a generation of digital-savvy activists onto the world stage. What began as a protest against a sweeping social media ban quickly escalated into a full-blown uprising, leaving at least 72 dead, the government toppled, and the nation’s first female prime minister installed. The story of Nepal’s "Gen Z" revolution is a tale of digital activism, deep-seated grievances, and the uneasy intersection of tradition and technology.
The spark was lit on September 8, when then-Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli announced a ban on 26 social media and messaging platforms, including Instagram and X. The government cited regulatory concerns, but for nearly half of Nepal’s population—many of whom rely on these platforms to communicate with family members working abroad—the move was a gut punch. The timing couldn’t have been worse: the ban coincided with a major festival, cutting off vital connections for expatriate workers whose remittances make up a third of the country’s GDP, according to reporting by the Kathmandu Post.
But the digital grievances only scratched the surface. Longstanding frustrations over wealth inequality, rampant corruption, and sky-high youth unemployment (20.8% in the formal sector, as cited by The Threefold Advocate) had been simmering for years. Social media had become a window into the extravagant lifestyles of politicians’ children—designer handbags, luxury vacations, and exclusive parties—while most Nepalis toiled in the informal sector, struggling to make ends meet. The contrast was too much to bear.
Organizing quickly and efficiently, protesters—many of them young but by no means exclusively Gen Z—used digital tools to their advantage. Discord, a platform once reserved for gamers, suddenly became the command center for a national movement. The NGO Hami Nepal, led by 36-year-old Sudan Gurung, managed a Discord channel called "Youth Against Corruption" that swelled to over 160,000 members. Protesters coordinated demonstration routes and safety measures via Instagram and YouTube, even advising participants to wear school uniforms to appear more sympathetic to security forces, according to The Threefold Advocate.
What followed was a week of chaos and fury. Protesters torched Nepal’s parliament building, the Supreme Court, international business headquarters, and the homes of politicians across the country. In Kathmandu alone, security forces opened fire with live ammunition, killing at least 19 people. By September 15, the dead were being honored as "Gen Z martyrs." The violence was so widespread and destructive that some speculated about foreign involvement, though no evidence has surfaced to support such claims.
The government’s response was swift and brutal. Reports of widespread arrests, beatings, and even disappearances of student activists began to circulate. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) later concluded that while the first half of the protests on September 8 was peaceful, "the deaths caused by police firing on the first day led to indiscriminate arson and vandalism on the second day." The NHRC blamed the government’s failure to anticipate the protests’ intensity and the declining morale of security agencies for the huge loss of life and property.
By the end of the week, Nepal’s political order had been upended. The government fell, and a power vacuum emerged. In a scene that would have seemed unthinkable just days earlier, the army opened negotiations with Gen Z representatives, who had become the de facto voice of the movement. Online, the Discord server became a virtual parliament, hosting debates and leadership votes livestreamed on YouTube. In-person, Gen Z activists and representatives from the NGO Hami Nepal, anti-corruption protest groups, and others met with the Army Chief to discuss the formation of an interim government and early elections.
As leadership names circulated—former Nepal Electricity Authority chief Kulman Ghising, Dharan Mayor Harka Sampang, youth leader Sagar Dhakal, and social entrepreneur Mahabir Pun—consensus eventually formed around former Chief Justice Sushila Karki. An open poll on Discord drew 7,713 votes, with Karki receiving 3,833 (50%). On September 12, she was officially appointed as Nepal’s 42nd—and first female—prime minister, an event that made international headlines. According to Al Jazeera, the process was "more egalitarian" than anything in Nepal’s history, though some Gen Z activists cautioned against overstating Discord’s role.
"I strongly disagree with the narrative that the prime minister was chosen solely through Discord," said Tanuja Pandey, an active participant in the movement, as quoted by the Kathmandu Post. She and others emphasized that the uprising was multi-platform and deeply rooted in society, not just an online trend. Aditya Khare, another Gen Z participant, noted that while Discord polls made people feel heard, the process was far from perfect: "Moderators decided who got to speak, so not everyone had a chance." The anonymous nature of the polls also raised concerns about credibility and inclusivity.
Discord’s sudden rise as a political arena caught many by surprise. Parents quipped about their children "voting for the prime minister on Discord," and memes about explaining the platform to older relatives flooded social media. Digital safety experts, like Anil Raghuvansi, warned that such rapid shifts in online behavior could expose users to risks like hate speech, privacy breaches, and data leaks. He advised all users to review a platform’s safety protocols before joining, as reported by the Kathmandu Post.
Meanwhile, the aftermath of the uprising has been anything but settled. On September 21, the interim government formed a judicial commission led by former judge Gauri Bahadur Karki to investigate the excessive use of force during the protests. The commission soon recommended freezing the passports of five top officials, including former Prime Minister Oli and his home minister Ramesh Lekhak, to ensure accountability. Public anger remains high, with families of victims and human rights defenders demanding not just truth and compensation, but also legal consequences for those responsible. Whether this commission will lead to real prosecutions or fade away like so many before it remains to be seen.
For now, Nepal stands at a crossroads. The Gen Z uprising fits a broader pattern of youth-driven political change in South Asia, following similar upheavals in Sri Lanka in 2022 and Bangladesh in 2024. Yet with chronic political instability—eight governments led by just three figures between 2015 and 2025—Nepal’s future remains uncertain. The past week has shown the power of digital activism and the depth of public frustration, but whether this moment sparks lasting reform or simply repeats the cycle of unrest is a question only time will answer.