On September 4, 2025, the government of Nepal announced the blocking of 26 social media platforms, including global giants like Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube. Only platforms that complied with registration demands—such as TikTok, Viber, WeTalk, Nimbuzz, and Poppo Live—remain accessible. The decision follows a Supreme Court directive requiring all platforms to register locally, but critics argue it goes far beyond compliance and enters the territory of censorship.
Journalists’ federations, human rights advocates, and digital rights groups were quick to condemn the move. The Federation of Nepali Journalists called it “immature” and a direct assault on press freedom and the right to information. International watchdogs have echoed the sentiment, warning that this could set a dangerous precedent for democratic freedoms in Nepal.
But beyond the immediate outrage lies a bigger question: why now, and why this particular arrangement of bans and exemptions? Many observers cannot ignore the geopolitical undertones. In particular, the exclusion of Western platforms while leaving TikTok—the app with Chinese roots—accessible has fueled speculation that Nepal is subtly aligning with Beijing’s model of digital governance.
Nepal has always navigated a delicate balance between India and China. Over the past decade, however, Beijing’s influence has grown more visible in infrastructure projects, trade, and political ties. Now, the digital sphere appears to be following the same trajectory. In 2023, Nepal banned TikTok, citing threats to “social harmony.” The ban was lifted in mid-2024 only after TikTok agreed to register locally and cooperate with authorities. Some critics saw that reversal as a sign of Nepal borrowing from China’s playbook—tight controls, conditional access, and preference for platforms willing to submit to government oversight.
This latest move takes that approach further. By shutting out Western platforms that dominate global conversations while leaving space for TikTok, Kathmandu is either intentionally or inadvertently signaling a tilt toward Beijing’s vision of the internet. China’s “Great Firewall” is designed to keep out unregulated foreign influence while promoting domestic or allied alternatives. While Nepal does not yet have the technological machinery to build its own parallel internet, the ban suggests it is willing to move in that direction.
At the same time, the decision reflects something bigger than just geopolitics. It raises a philosophical question about whether the era of social media itself is drawing to a close. Social networks once revolutionized how we communicate, inform ourselves, and organize movements. But after two decades of dominance, their flaws are clearer than ever: misinformation, trolling, addiction, and a business model that exploits attention rather than cultivating meaningful engagement.
The timing of Nepal’s ban intersects with another global trend: the rapid rise of artificial intelligence. While social media feels increasingly stagnant, AI is reshaping the digital landscape. From personalized news feeds to conversational agents, AI systems now perform many of the functions that once made social media indispensable—but faster, smarter, and with far less noise.
Consider how users already interact with the online world. Instead of scrolling endlessly through status updates, they are turning to AI assistants to summarize the news, filter out the irrelevant, and even generate the content they want to see. Instead of joining massive public groups, people are forming AI-mediated communities where conversations are tailored, private, and contextual. The shift suggests that static platforms like Facebook or Instagram are already outdated. The age of the profile and the feed is giving way to the age of intelligent, personalized, and adaptive systems.
In that light, Nepal’s ban may be less a step backward and more an unintended leap forward. By cutting off traditional platforms, the government might accelerate the public’s adoption of AI-driven alternatives. Users deprived of their usual apps will not simply stop communicating; they will seek new ways to connect. AI-powered companions, generative news feeds, and immersive environments may fill the void faster than expected.
Of course, this does not erase the troubling aspects of the government’s approach. A state-mandated blackout of popular platforms undermines democratic freedoms and raises fears of authoritarian control. But even as we critique the move, we must recognise the broader technological shift it coincides with. The world is entering an era where AI, not social media, will be the primary medium of digital life.
Nepal’s ban, then, is more than just a national policy. It is a signal—whether intentional or not—that the age of social media is fading. What comes next will be shaped by the interplay of geopolitics and technology. On one side lies the specter of China’s controlled digital ecosystem, which Nepal may be leaning toward. On the other lies the liberating potential of AI, offering users a more private, intelligent, and responsive online experience.
This moment could mark a turning point. Just as the early 2000s heralded the rise of Facebook and its peers, the mid-2020s may be remembered as the period when social media began to collapse under its own weight, and when AI rose to take its place. Nepal, through its controversial ban, has placed itself at the center of this transition.
In the short term, frustration will dominate the headlines: users cut off from familiar platforms, creators losing their livelihoods, journalists warning of censorship. But in the long term, the story may be remembered differently. This could be the spark that forces Nepal—and perhaps other nations—to rethink the digital future not in terms of profiles, feeds, and likes, but in terms of intelligent networks, adaptive communities, and AI companions.
What looks like a conspiracy with China today may, decades later, be remembered as the awkward but necessary beginning of a post-social media era. Nepal may not have intended to lead this transformation, but history often works through unintended consequences. And in this case, the consequence could be nothing less than the dawn of the AI age.

On September 4, 2025, the government of Nepal announced the blocking of 26 social media platforms, including global giants like Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube. Only platforms that complied with registration demands—such as TikTok, Viber, WeTalk, Nimbuzz, and Poppo Live—remain accessible. The decision follows a Supreme Court directive requiring all platforms to register locally, but critics argue it goes far beyond compliance and enters the territory of censorship.
Journalists’ federations, human rights advocates, and digital rights groups were quick to condemn the move. The Federation of Nepali Journalists called it “immature” and a direct assault on press freedom and the right to information. International watchdogs have echoed the sentiment, warning that this could set a dangerous precedent for democratic freedoms in Nepal.
But beyond the immediate outrage lies a bigger question: why now, and why this particular arrangement of bans and exemptions? Many observers cannot ignore the geopolitical undertones. In particular, the exclusion of Western platforms while leaving TikTok—the app with Chinese roots—accessible has fueled speculation that Nepal is subtly aligning with Beijing’s model of digital governance.
Nepal has always navigated a delicate balance between India and China. Over the past decade, however, Beijing’s influence has grown more visible in infrastructure projects, trade, and political ties. Now, the digital sphere appears to be following the same trajectory. In 2023, Nepal banned TikTok, citing threats to “social harmony.” The ban was lifted in mid-2024 only after TikTok agreed to register locally and cooperate with authorities. Some critics saw that reversal as a sign of Nepal borrowing from China’s playbook—tight controls, conditional access, and preference for platforms willing to submit to government oversight.
This latest move takes that approach further. By shutting out Western platforms that dominate global conversations while leaving space for TikTok, Kathmandu is either intentionally or inadvertently signaling a tilt toward Beijing’s vision of the internet. China’s “Great Firewall” is designed to keep out unregulated foreign influence while promoting domestic or allied alternatives. While Nepal does not yet have the technological machinery to build its own parallel internet, the ban suggests it is willing to move in that direction.
At the same time, the decision reflects something bigger than just geopolitics. It raises a philosophical question about whether the era of social media itself is drawing to a close. Social networks once revolutionized how we communicate, inform ourselves, and organize movements. But after two decades of dominance, their flaws are clearer than ever: misinformation, trolling, addiction, and a business model that exploits attention rather than cultivating meaningful engagement.
The timing of Nepal’s ban intersects with another global trend: the rapid rise of artificial intelligence. While social media feels increasingly stagnant, AI is reshaping the digital landscape. From personalized news feeds to conversational agents, AI systems now perform many of the functions that once made social media indispensable—but faster, smarter, and with far less noise.
Consider how users already interact with the online world. Instead of scrolling endlessly through status updates, they are turning to AI assistants to summarize the news, filter out the irrelevant, and even generate the content they want to see. Instead of joining massive public groups, people are forming AI-mediated communities where conversations are tailored, private, and contextual. The shift suggests that static platforms like Facebook or Instagram are already outdated. The age of the profile and the feed is giving way to the age of intelligent, personalized, and adaptive systems.
In that light, Nepal’s ban may be less a step backward and more an unintended leap forward. By cutting off traditional platforms, the government might accelerate the public’s adoption of AI-driven alternatives. Users deprived of their usual apps will not simply stop communicating; they will seek new ways to connect. AI-powered companions, generative news feeds, and immersive environments may fill the void faster than expected.
Of course, this does not erase the troubling aspects of the government’s approach. A state-mandated blackout of popular platforms undermines democratic freedoms and raises fears of authoritarian control. But even as we critique the move, we must recognise the broader technological shift it coincides with. The world is entering an era where AI, not social media, will be the primary medium of digital life.
Nepal’s ban, then, is more than just a national policy. It is a signal—whether intentional or not—that the age of social media is fading. What comes next will be shaped by the interplay of geopolitics and technology. On one side lies the specter of China’s controlled digital ecosystem, which Nepal may be leaning toward. On the other lies the liberating potential of AI, offering users a more private, intelligent, and responsive online experience.
This moment could mark a turning point. Just as the early 2000s heralded the rise of Facebook and its peers, the mid-2020s may be remembered as the period when social media began to collapse under its own weight, and when AI rose to take its place. Nepal, through its controversial ban, has placed itself at the center of this transition.
In the short term, frustration will dominate the headlines: users cut off from familiar platforms, creators losing their livelihoods, journalists warning of censorship. But in the long term, the story may be remembered differently. This could be the spark that forces Nepal—and perhaps other nations—to rethink the digital future not in terms of profiles, feeds, and likes, but in terms of intelligent networks, adaptive communities, and AI companions.
What looks like a conspiracy with China today may, decades later, be remembered as the awkward but necessary beginning of a post-social media era. Nepal may not have intended to lead this transformation, but history often works through unintended consequences. And in this case, the consequence could be nothing less than the dawn of the AI age.