Shutting apps, unleashing anger

We hope the government will heed the feedback of its own people on social media ban.

The youth of Nepal is angry. The new ban on prominent social media sites like Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram and Snapchat has touched a raw nerve among young Nepalis. They use these platforms to vent pent-up frustrations, connect with friends, and keep abreast with the rest of the world. They were already antsy, fed up with the country’s woeful health and education systems, and rampant corruption and nepotism—so much so that many of them saw no future in the country. The ban on the platforms that are an integral part of their lifestyle will only amp up their disillusionment. In the past few days, the social media ban has also made them unleash their wrath at ‘Nepo kids’: children of prominent politicians who owe their social standing to their parents rather than anything they have done. The young folks, or members of Gen Z, are gathering today at Maitighar Mandal in Kathmandu to say ‘enough is enough’. They will no more silently tolerate one after another injustice heaped upon them.