Youth movements have always been catalysts of change. The India Today Sunday Special traces that thread from India’s JP Movement in the 1970s to today’s Gen-Z uprisings in Nepal and Bangladesh. What binds them is not just dissent, but how young people express it through social media, creative tools, and relentless idealism.

In Nepal, a social media ban sparked outrage among Gen-Z, already frustrated by corruption, unemployment and nepotism. Rather than retreat quietly, young people organized via Instagram Reels, TikTok, Discord and hashtags like “nepo-kids/nepo-babies,” making protest visible online even as it played out in the streets. Their actions helped bring down Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli.

Bangladesh too has seen protest culture deeply shaped by youth and digital expression, from music, street protests to online campaigns. Generations before them had different tools, but similar conviction: injustice will be called out. Experts suggest that for Gen-Z, identity, immediacy, and visibility matter causes aren’t just about physical gathering but symbolic digital performance too. 

As the world watches, these protests underscore a generational shift. It’s not just the causes youth pick it’s the urgency, the channels, and the refusal to accept half-measures. The age of youth rebellion is far from over.