0 comments
Protests sparked by Gen Zers have caused disruption across the globe in 2025, as disillusioned young people use social media to mobilise. Should the political elite be worried?
Gen Z are leading a surge in mass youth protesting across the globe, causing disruption in countries including Istanbul, Turkey, Madagascar, Morocco, and Nepal, to name just a few.
Using social media platforms to digitally co-ordinate themselves, young people are taking to the streets in droves, expressing their discontent at what they regard as severe political corruption and deep inequality. This surge in activism is challenging previously held narratives about Gen Z – that they’re apathetic, lazy, and self-serving – and demonstrates the genuine power of modern communication tools.
In Morocco, for example, marches erupted in September 2025 as a direct result of poorly allocated national spending. Cash was being thrown at infrastructure for the World Cup rather than being directed toward struggling healthcare, education, and other public services. In response, young people aligned together using the term ‘GenZ-212’ online, primarily using Discord to build momentum and take action.
According to Amnesty International, over 400 people have been arrested and at least three have died over the past few months, largely as a result of excessively violent force from authorities. More than 2400 people have been charged in connection to the protests, while the Moroccan government also announced $15 billion USD will be allocated to health and education in October.
It suggests that politicians and the monarchy are attempting to appease younger voters, and arguably serves as an example of successful, new-age Gen Z activism.
That same month, in Nepal, a new social media ban prevented citizens from using YouTube, Facebook, or WhatsApp, sparking national outrage and large-scale demonstrations. These marches reflected the longstanding public resentment toward state corruption and wealth disparity, leading to violent outbursts, vandalism of government property, and over 70 deaths. Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli and several other officials resigned as a result.
Gen Z were credited with starting the movement that helped topple Nepal’s leaders, in much the same way as Morocco. Discord was cited as the main platform for communication, as well as Instagram and TikTok. Young people downloaded VPNs to bypass the new legal restrictions, sharing information on the blatant inequality on display from their government and encouraging action. This, in turn, generated enough anger to push young people onto the streets.
Similar stories have cropped up across countries and continents in 2025, each one spearheaded by Gen Z and social media platforms.
Madagascar saw widespread unrest in late September and early October due to frequent water and power outages in the city of Malagasy. Protests spread across the country, with Gen Z demanding a change in leadership. By mid October, President Andry Rajoelina had fled to Dubai and over 20 people had died. It was, once again, young people that were deemed responsible for pushing social change, as activists communicated via Discord, messaging platform Signal, Facebook, and Instagram.
More recently, thousands of Gen Z protesters marched and clashed with authorities in Mexico City.
Using a simple banner of ‘Generation Z’, they pushed back against what they believe to be corruption and escalating drug violence. Carlos Alberto Manzo Rodríguez, a mayor in Mexico’s western state of Michoacán, was assassinated on November 1. Known for his outspoken rejection of drug trafficking, his death spurred anger amongst young people, many of whom wore hats and banners in his name during the protests.
Rallies took place across dozens of cities, with demonstrations in Mexico City’s Zócalo plaza eventually turning violent. Over 100 police officers were injured. Social media sites like Discord, TikTok and Instagram were used to generate momentum, though President Claudia Sheinbaum has claimed that right-wing bots manipulated Gen Zers into going against Mexico’s government.
In each of these cases, Gen Z are spreading information and creating movements through digital platforms in ways we’ve never seen before.
While online connectivity has always been a tool for unison and civil unrest (older folks may remember the UK’s 2011 riots, for example), it has seldom been weaponised so effectively by so many people. In this day and age, young people are true digital natives, able to work their way around government restrictions with ease; they’re highly knowledgeable on how best to use different social media channels, giving them a significant advantage over most authoritative efforts to silence them.
Gen Z are also taking inspiration from one another, observing how other movements strategise and adapting accordingly. Thanks to universal, generational suffering and economic hardship, most people under the age of 30 distrust traditional institutions and don’t believe that their concerns are being heard. This dissatisfaction with the status quo goes beyond any one border, uniting activists in Nepal, Madagascar, Mexico City, and beyond.
Nepotism and corruption is everywhere, and it affects everyone outside of the super rich.
Gen Z are far more educated and self-aware than any generation that precede them. As we’ve explored in previous newsletters, most are acutely aware of the socio-economic problems they will have to face in the coming decades: climate change, growing wealth inequality, increased corruption, a resurgence in right-wing discrimination, the list goes on. Why wouldn’t they use the power of the internet to mobilise and align? There is literally nothing to lose.
For many years we’ve been told that activism online is a waste of energy and effort. As politicians continue to ignore the voices of the young and prioritise themselves, resentment and anger only grows louder. In 2025, Gen Z have proven that social media is a very real, very powerful weapon to incite change, for better or worse, and it’s likely that this is only the start.
As we wade into new, murky, AI-powered waters, questions remain as to the future of global governance and long-term stability. It’s impossible to answer them just yet.
See also:
- Spending this festive season: a Gen Z dilemma
- Staying single and liking it…no, seriously
- Are traditional broadcasters doing enough to attract Gen Z?
