Asia's Gen-Z Demands Social Change

First Bangladesh. Then Indonesia. And now, Nepal.

The Himalayan nation is the latest in the region to be rocked by violent anti-government street protests, led mostly by young people. The demonstrators took to the streets after Kathmandu banned dozens of social-media services including Facebook, X and YouTube for failing to meet a government-imposed registration deadline.

By today, authorities had reversed the ban, but the damage was done: With some 19 people dead and hundreds injured in the wake of the demonstrations, local media reported that the prime minister resigned.

Protest movements can be ignited by a spark, but they often uncover vast stores of fuel. In Nepal’s case, the grievances grew to include corruption and a lack of economic opportunities.

The Nepal demonstrations come just days after protesters spilled into the streets of Indonesia. The trigger there was a $3,000 housing handout for lawmakers, but the unrest eventually exploded into a broader movement against graft and impunity among Indonesia’s ruling class.

And it was only last year that young protesters rallied across Bangladesh, culminating in the ouster of longtime leader Sheikh Hasina.

Is there a regional movement afoot?

In all three countries, those on the front lines were young, economically frustrated and indignant over corruption and the privileges of the elite. In Nepal, they’ve become known as the “Gen-Z protests,” fueled in part by frustration over so-called Nepo Kids flaunting their wealth at the top of a society in which annual income averages around $1,400.

Nepal isn’t a stranger to violent upheaval, having suffered a decade-long Maoist insurgency that left more than 17,000 dead and prompted the abolition of the monarchy in 2008.

It’s not yet clear whether the government’s backtrack and prime minister’s departure will be enough to calm the demonstrators.

What is sure is that youths across parts of Asia are angry and demanding change.