How flashy 'nepo kids' triggered Gen Z protests in Nepal
The protests go far beyond censorship. At their heart lies pent-up anger over corruption, systemic inequality, and the undue privileges enjoyed by politicians’ children, dubbed “nepo kids” and “nepo babies”.
A Gen Z revolution is shaking Nepal as thousands of young people defied curfew orders and breached restricted zones in Kathmandu on Monday, breaking through police barricades in defiance of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli's sweeping social media ban.
But the protests go far beyond censorship. At their heart lies pent-up anger over corruption, systemic inequality, and the undue privileges enjoyed by politicians' children, dubbed "nepo kids" and "nepo babies", reports India Today.
In the days leading up to the protests, hashtags like #PoliticiansNepoBabyNepal, #NepoKids, and #NepoBaby trended across TikTok, Reddit, and other platforms. Viral clips contrasted politicians' children flaunting Gucci bags and foreign holidays with ordinary Nepalis struggling to make ends meet — or returning home in coffins after working abroad in conflict zones.
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Placards at the rally read: "The leaders' children return from abroad with Gucci bags, the people's children in coffins." The coffin reference alluded to Nepali migrant workers killed overseas, including those employed as mercenaries in the Ukraine–Russia war.
The anger against elite privilege, amplified online, has now exploded into the streets. Security forces responded with tear gas, water cannons, and live fire, leaving at least 19 people dead and over 400 injured, according to The Kathmandu Post. The Nepal Army has since been deployed across Kathmandu under curfew orders.
Experts say Gen Z has reframed corruption discourse. "Older generations talked about asset investigations and nationalisation, but Gen Z is comparing leaders' children's lifestyles with the daily struggles of ordinary citizens. This is a creative and powerful way to show inequality," sociologist Dipesh Ghimire told ICT Magazine.
India Today noted that TikTok and Reddit campaigns targeting politicians' children, combined with Oli's September 4 order banning 26 major platforms including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and YouTube, electrified Nepal's youth. While Oli defended the ban as a matter of "national dignity," protesters view it as censorship aimed at shielding corrupt elites.
"Government of Nepal is a classic case of toxic parenting," X-user Princi Koirala wrote, reflecting widespread frustration among Nepal's digital natives.
On Monday, thousands of mostly young protesters, many in school uniforms, marched from Maitighar Mandala to Parliament, chanting slogans against corruption and censorship. "We are protesting against corruption that has been institutionalised in Nepal," protester Yujan Rajbhandari told AFP.
Support from Kathmandu Mayor Balen Shah and cultural icons like Madan Krishna Shrestha and Hari Bansha Acharya has further energised the movement, with celebrities even contributing donations.
With remittances from migrant workers making up 33% of GDP and tourism heavily reliant on social media visibility, critics warn that the ban undermines both livelihoods and economic stability. Yet Oli insists it protects national sovereignty.
Whether it ends in reform or crackdown, the movement represents a generational rupture. Nepal's Gen Z — armed with memes, hashtags, and raw anger at elite privilege — is now challenging the country's post-monarchical political order like never before.
