In a move that might make even Orwell raise an eyebrow, Nepal has officially banned TikTok, the popular short-video app best known for choreographed dances, lip-sync fails, and a seemingly endless loop of people overusing the same ten sound effects. The decision, which came after a Cabinet meeting on Monday, was justified on the grounds that the app was allegedly harming “social harmony.”
Communications Minister Rekha Sharma, evidently not a fan of viral memes, explained that the platform was “responsible for negatively impacting social harmony and the flow of indecent materials.” It’s not the first time the government has taken a more censorial turn, but this might be the most ambitious attempt yet to take on Generation Z with Cabinet authority.
The ban is reportedly set to take effect immediately. Whether it will effectively curb discontent or simply move it to Instagram Reels remains to be seen. Authorities have instructed the telecom regulator to pull the plug on TikTok access across the country, which should result in a sharp spike in VPN downloads followed by an equally sharp decline in teenagers’ attention spans.
Critics, including human rights activists and freedom of speech advocates, were quick to point out that “social harmony” is perhaps a little too conveniently undefined. Meanwhile, TikTok influencers across Nepal are left staring mournfully into ring lights, wondering whether their dreams of brand-sponsored stardom have officially been shelved.
It should also be noted that Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s administration has not exactly been shy about regulating the internet in recent months. The government also recently introduced proposals requiring social media platforms to register with authorities before they can legally operate, a move that has not gone unnoticed by privacy watchdogs and people who remember that autocratic habits tend to start small and quietly.
According to the Nepal Telecommunications Authority, around 2.2 million people in the country used TikTok. Whether all 2.2 million posed a direct threat to national cohesion is unclear, although one imagines they might now pose a different sort of threat to mobile data providers and mental well-being.
The population is, for now, left to communicate the old-fashioned way: through long, passive-aggressive group texts about who forgot to do the dishes again.
The ban on viral dances may restore harmony, but it probably won’t fix anyone’s taste in music.