In 2025, the world witnessed a surge of youth-led demonstrations that leveraged digital tools to amplify grievances and coordinate action.
Across continents, young people mobilised against corruption, economic hardship, and political exclusion, shaping public discourse and forcing governments to respond, though outcomes varied widely by country.
These movements, often described as part of a broader Gen Z protest wave, were characterised by decentralised organisation, social media campaigns, and creative symbols of resistance.
Kenya
In Kenya, Generation Z activists continued waves of protests that began in 2024 and persisted into 2025.
The protests, influenced by economic hardship, corruption, rising living costs, police brutality, and other governance failures, were mainly planned and amplified on social media.
The country-wide protests led to the death of at least 31 people and hundreds of others were injured and arrested.
Unlike those in 2024, this year’s protests led to little to no policy reversals; however, the sustained public pressure resulted in high‑profile debates about governance and accountability.
Tanzania
Tanzania also experienced widespread anti‑government demonstrations.
This follows its October 2025 general elections, where citizens complained of electoral fraud, calling for national accountability.
While the government imposed curfew and intermittent internet restrictions to reduce mobilisation, digitally savvy youth continued to communicate through alternative online channels, demonstrating both the resilience and innovation of these movements.
The protests also led to the death and injury of Tanzanians, according to rights groups.
Madagascar
On the island of Madagascar, prolonged shortages of essential services such as water and electricity, combined with broader economic frustration, drove large youth‑led demonstrations in 2025.
The protests gained momentum partly through coordination on social platforms, drawing inspiration from other Gen Z movements in the region, and contributed to the dissolution of the existing government and the establishment of a new leadership arrangement.
Togo
Togo also saw significant unrest beginning in June 2025, triggered by the arrest of cultural figures and constitutional reforms perceived as consolidating executive power.
Youth and civic groups organised flash demonstrations and mass rallies, at times digitally coordinated, and called for democratic reforms and relief from high living costs. These protests form part of a broader Gen Z‑oriented civic challenge to long‑standing political structures in the country.
Nepal
In Nepal, large demonstrations erupted in September 2025 after the government banned major social media platforms, including Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, LinkedIn, Reddit, and Snapchat.
This forced many young people online to oppose the restrictions.
What began as opposition to the social media ban quickly broadened into widespread anger at corruption and governance failures. Security forces’ use of lethal force resulted in dozens of deaths, and the unrest culminated in the resignation of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, lifting the social media ban, the dissolution of parliament.
Sushila Karkwas was later appointed as interim prime minister ahead of elections set for 2026.
Indonesia
Indonesia saw significant civic activism in 2025, marked by students and youth demonstrations across multiple cities.
The protests, against controversial fiscal policies, rising costs of living, and broader economic grievances, were often organised and spread through digital platforms and hashtags, with students and other young activists playing central roles.
Protests occurred at the beginning of the year and in August and early September.
In August, for instance, protests erupted over a proposed monthly housing allowance increase for House of Representatives (DPR) members. The raise was ten times Jakarta's (Indonesia's capital) minimum wage, existing food and transportation stipends, amid soaring food and education costs, mass layoffs, and property tax increases from central funding cuts.
They later turned deadly after an armored police vehicle hit and killed rideshare motorbike driver Affan Kurniawan during a clash between police and protesters in Jakarta.
Later, President Prabowo Subianto announced that Indonesia’s political parties had reached a consensus to reduce lawmakers’ benefits, with some students and civil society groups calling off their protest afterwards.
Philippines
In the Philippines, months of protests took place in response to allegations of corruption and government mismanagement of infrastructure and environmental projects.
Young people, including student groups, used digital tools to organise and share information, pushing national debate on accountability and transparency.
Peru
Peru experienced prolonged demonstrations in late 2025 driven by broad dissatisfaction with political instability, economic challenges, and contested reforms.
Young people and wider civil society used social networks to disseminate information and sustain momentum in the face of confrontations with security forces. Some regions were placed under states of emergency in attempts to quell unrest tied to deeper structural grievances.
Morocco
In Morocco, a wave of large, ongoing demonstrations that began in late September 2025 brought together young people and other citizens demanding improvements to public services such as healthcare and education, and condemning economic inequality and government spending priorities.
Organised in part through social networks and decentralised collectives like GenZ 212, these protests have been among the country’s largest in recent years.
Authorities responded with force, including arrests and reported abuses against detainees, prompting criticism from international rights groups, while proposed reforms have yet to fully satisfy protesters’ demands.
Across these countries, youth movements in 2025, often referred to as Gen Z protests, shared common digital elements, with young people leaning on social media and online networks to organise and amplify grievances.
Yet outcomes varied: some protests led to significant political shifts, others to sustained civic pressure or government crackdowns.
