Global Youth Uprising: Gen Z Drives Wave of Protests Across Multiple Continents
October 8, 2025
A coordinated wave of youth-led activism is sweeping across multiple continents, as Gen Z protesters challenge governments over corruption, inequality, and systemic governance failures. From Morocco to Madagascar, Iran to Nepal, young people are organizing through digital platforms to demand fundamental reforms—often at deadly cost.
Deadly Confrontations Mark Youth Protests
Madagascar has emerged as a flashpoint where Gen Z-led demonstrations over basic services and corruption have turned fatal. At least 22 people have been killed in clashes with security forces, prompting the UN Secretary-General to call for immediate dialogue as political upheaval continues. Protesters are demanding action on chronic failures in electricity, water services, and endemic corruption in one of the world’s poorest nations.
In Morocco, influential public figures are now publicly urging King Mohammed VI to introduce sweeping reforms and address systemic corruption in response to massive youth-led protests. The demonstrations, organized largely through encrypted messaging platforms, represent a growing demand for fundamental change in governance and resource allocation.
Iran has seen rebellious youth conduct 35 operations across 19 cities, specifically targeting government facilities and repression centers. These actions follow a series of state executions and increased violence against demonstrators, marking an escalation in youth resistance to the regime.
Digital Organization and Disinformation Challenges
Social media analysis reveals that platforms like Reddit have become central hubs for organizing and discussing these movements. In Nepal, significant Gen Z-led protests are being tracked alongside concerning patterns of disinformation and inauthentic amplification designed to either support or undermine the movements.
The Israel/Palestine conflict has generated the most active online discussion, with numerous posts, petitions, first-hand videos, and debates appearing across multiple subreddits including r/news, r/worldnews, and r/IsraelPalestine. Topics range from calls for humanitarian aid delivery to Gaza to discussions on the history and effectiveness of non-violent resistance.
Experts warn of a high risk of disinformation impacting youth activism globally, noting that politically charged topics are seeing both authentic first-hand footage and deliberately manipulated narratives circulating simultaneously.
Platform Governance Under Scrutiny
The role of social media platforms in facilitating—or suppressing—these movements has come under intense examination. X/Twitter recently settled a lawsuit with former executives over $128 million in unpaid severance, reigniting debates about platform governance, content moderation, and the influence of ownership on public discourse.
Platform litigation and moderation decisions are significantly influencing discussions around free speech and content control, which directly affects how protest movements are amplified or suppressed online.
Broader Geopolitical Context
While youth activism dominates the social dynamics landscape, broader geopolitical tensions continue to shape online discourse. The US, UK, and Australia maintain heavy presence in general news and political discussions, while Russia appears mainly in contexts related to the Ukraine conflict, warfare, and disinformation campaigns. Indonesia features occasionally in regional and global politics threads.
Demographic crisis issues receive only occasional mentions in current discussions, suggesting that immediate political and social grievances are overshadowing longer-term population concerns in public consciousness.
What This Means
The coordinated nature of these youth movements—organized through digital platforms, focused on systemic governance issues, and willing to confront state violence—represents a significant shift in global activism. Gen Z’s digital fluency enables rapid organization and international solidarity, but also exposes movements to sophisticated disinformation campaigns and state surveillance.
As governments struggle to respond to these digitally-native protest movements, the coming weeks will likely determine whether dialogue and reform can address youth grievances, or whether confrontation and violence will continue to escalate across multiple regions simultaneously.