The year 2025 was in the news for many reasons and one of them was the Gen Z phenomenon. From Bangladesh to Nepal to Madagascar to Morocco to Kenya to East Timor and Maldives, the youth sparked a global protest movement demanding bold systemic change. Lifting restrictions on social media, job insecurity, declining standards of living and an end to corrupt governments have been their main areas of concern.
In some cases, their demands have been met with success, too. Besides the physical mode of expression, these movements have been coordinated through various digital platforms. A few are discussed here. It is not as if the Gen Z protests gained momentum only in 2025. In earlier years, too, youth-led movements existed. Many significant protests like ‘Tiananmen Square’, ‘Occupy Wall Street’, ‘Arab Spring’ and the ‘Umbrella Revolution’ in Hong Kong were led by the youth. What is different this time around is the scale and speed at which information is being disseminated on social media.
The digital platform has a ripple effect and spreads fast to other countries, unifying diverse groups from several quarters of the globe and empowering them as well. Going back in history the world saw the famous ‘Penguin Revolution’ in 2006 in Chile wherein 600,000 school children under 16 had protested the deplorable conditions in schools as well as privatization of education, making it inaccessible for the poorer classes. Generation Z are those who are born between 1997 and 2012, the first truly digital generation that has grown up with the rise of the Internet, and with seamless exposure to streaming content and social media.
There is convergence of conditions across very different political environments, some democratic and some otherwise. Gen Z has managed to redefine the protest culture. Unfortunately, education as such, has not necessarily coincided with economic mobility. Protest movements through the years have proceeded along different lines and may not have necessarily have had the same fate. Vincent Bevins book ‘If We Burn: The Mass Protest Decade and the Missing Revolution’ and Joachim C. Häberlen’s ‘Beauty Is In the Street: Protest and Counterculture in Post-War Europe’, have explained the conditions that trigger political change and the reason why movements in the past did not have the desired impact.
The July 2024 youth movement in Bangladesh is regarded by many as the first successful “Gen Z revolution” in present times – setting in motion powerful youth-led movements that have swept the world, from South Asia to Africa, to Latin America. The protests in Bangladesh arose due to economic discontent with the controversial job quota system in civil-service recruitment. This grew into a nationwide anti-government movement and violent crackdowns against the protesters ultimately led to the resignation of Prime Minister Sheik Hasina, who fled to India ending her 15-year rule.
A UN fact finding mission pointed towards human rights abuses and the loss of 1400 people’s lives. President Mohammad Shahabuddin dissolved Parliament, a key demand of the protestors, and the Supreme Court rescinded the job quota policy. Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was appointed to head an interim administration. Corruption, nepotism and ban on social media fueled the September 2025 protest movements in Nepal. The protests by the youth went viral when an online campaign mocking the lavish life-styles of the “nepo babies” (the privileged children of politicians) swept the Nepali internet, giving rise to frustration and anger.
The government reacted by blocking more than two dozen social media platforms on the pretext that the platforms had failed to comply with new registration rules and had to be regulated to tackle fake news and hate speech. This in a way set off the trigger and led to Gen Z protests outside the parliament building in Kathmandu. With the ban on social media and free speech being restricted, the youth experienced a sense of disempowerment as they could not voice their grievances over corruption, misuse of funds, lack of opportunities, gross unemployment, and civic concerns. A nationwide outrage led to the burning down of parliament and several government buildings as well as the loss of nearly 70 young lives. The crisis forced Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli and several top officials to resign.
In Nepal, a small, entrenched elite has held its way over politics and businesses and the country has seen repeated governmental collapses with power going back and forth amongst the same set of leaders. Sushila Karki, Nepal’s first female Chief Justice Is currently leading an interim government till the elections take place on 5 March. Gen Z has managed to bring several issues to the fore and by breaking the political stalemate has perhaps set a blueprint for a different and a more stable political future of Nepal. If the Gen Z protest took an ugly turn in South Asia, how could Africa be far behind.
In September- October 2025, Madagascar witnessed its biggest youth-led protests in decades demanding access to clean water and electricity amid worsening power cuts, and seeking an end to President Andry Rajoelina’s corrupt government. This movement was led by university students working under the name Gen Z Madagascar ~ Gen Z Mada for short. The Jolly Roger flag from ‘One Piece’ and the Malagasy phrase “Mitsangàna ry tanora!” (Rise up, young people!), symbolized the movement. It resonated on social media platforms and demonstrations. Unfortunately, the unrest turned violent leaving at least 22 dead.
Prompted by the public’s mobilization the military was instrumental in the downfall of the government of President Rajoelina and the military taking power in October. Interestingly. the Prime Minister and the cabinet ministers appointed are civilians. The future will decide whether the military will be the voice of sanity and help to maintain stability and order and not give in to temptations of power. Morocco’s case is one of high degree of unemployment amounting to 35 per cent. The poor state of health and education, rising living costs and lack of opportunities, while investing in lavish infrastructure projects have caused unrest amongst the youth.
Ironically, Morocco is scheduled to be one of the hosts for the 2030 FIFA World Cup. The protests have been organised largely on platforms like Discord and TikTok. The main grievance is that despite lack of basic services, the government has been spending on sports stadiums. Social media has played an important role as GenZ212 (named after the country’s international dialing code), launched its ‘Discord’ server on September 18 and within a fortnight had about 250,000 users. Street protests were far from peaceful and caused injuries to both the protesters and the security personnel resulting in thousands of protesters being arrested.
This was not all in vain and a few tangible concessions were given. The government announced an additional USD 15 billion (approximately) for the 2026 budget, to cater to health and education and create 27,000 public sector jobs. However, the protest movements are not without their share of follies. Sometimes it is the lack of unanimity amongst the youth. One segment may adopt a violent strategy and join the protests to destroy things and gain popularity, whilst another may have the interests of the nation in mind and care for good governance and stability. Then there are the youth who are politically motivated and are backed by political parties with a specific agenda in mind.
Class divide can also impede the movement. For instance, the elite among the youth may respond with apathy while the middle classes may be more assertive. The lack of a coherent national strategy cannot take the movement far, as is evident in some cases. Undeniably a single global narrative can yield better results. Of late, youth-led political leadership with support from Gen Z has begun to make inroads In the political system. Zohran Mamdani In New York and Balim Shah in Nepal have risen to leadership positions and may change the course of history. The outcome of the recently held Bangladesh elections has certainly ‘turned the tide.’ The struggle and sacrifices made by these protest movements are compelling in nature and find a global appeal that in some cases may translate into concrete outcomes. The Gen Z are not seeking power for themselves but strives for a better tomorrow. Gen Z cannot be sidelined, cannot be dismissed and cannot be written off either.
(The writer is Professor of Political Science, University of Delhi)