Nepalis are in a panic after the government decided to block Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp and other social media platforms, with many saying that the abrupt shutdown is disrupting livelihoods and daily communications.
The ban took effect on Thursday midnight after the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology instructed the Nepal Telecommunications Authority to block digital platforms that did not register in accordance with the Directives for Managing the Use of Social Networks, 2023.
TikTok, Viber, Witk, Nimbuzz and Popo Live are still available, but no major global firms submitted applications before the August 28 deadline.
‘Cut off’ after ban
For many Nepalis, the loss was felt instantly.
University students, who usually relied on YouTube for tutorials and lectures, said that they were left cut off after the ban.
“We used GitHub forums, subreddits, and tutorials,” 21-year-old computer science student Mina Shrestha told newspaper The Times of India (TOI) in an interview.
“Now, even that is gone. We’re stuck with textbooks from another decade,” Shrestha said.
Small businesses, particularly those selling products on Facebook and Instagram, have also reported losing access to customers overnight.
“I never needed a shop. My livelihood lived in chats and comments. Now, I can’t even reply to regular customers,” online jeweller Dipa Gurung, 28, told TOI.
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Ban could deter foreign investment
Experts warn that beyond personal disruption, the prohibitions may deter foreign investment and damage Nepal’s global standing as it prepares to leave the “Least Developed Country” (LDC) status.
“Once Nepal graduates from the LDC category, foreign aid and grants will decline and concessional loans will carry higher interest rates,” Nara Bahadur Thapa, former executive director of the Nepal Rastra Bank, told Nepali newspaper The Kathmandu Post.
“Any action that discourages or threatens foreign investors sends the wrong signal.”
Meanwhile, members of the opposition have denounced the move as an attack on free speech.
“Regulation is necessary, but the government must first identify what the problem is and where it lies,” said Hit Raj Pandey, chief whip of CPN (Maoist Centre).
Despite officials’ insistence that the ban will be lifted once companies register, critics argue that the sudden shutdown has already revealed how much Nepali society depends on social media.
“If social media is shut down, the country will become chaotic,” Pandey added.
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Adam Peaker 
Newsjustnews writers 
Carmela Calling