Gen Z Activism: Global Youth Protests & Connected Rebellion
Introduction: A World on Fire
The period spanning 2024-2025 has been marked by a series of explosive, youth-led political uprisings that have convulsed nations from the Andes to the Himalayas. Described as a potential “year of the protest,” this era has witnessed the rapid emergence of a global phenomenon: the “Gen Z protests”. In a remarkably short span, these movements have demonstrated unprecedented potency, toppling governments in Asia and Africa and fundamentally altering the political landscape in numerous countries. From the streets of Antananarivo, Madagascar, where anger over utility failures spiraled into a military-backed ouster of the president, to the digital battlegrounds of Nepal, where a social media ban ignited a revolution against systemic corruption, a distinct pattern of generational discontent has become visible.
This report posits that the Gen Z revolutions are not a series of isolated national crises but are, in fact, interconnected manifestations of a globally conscious, digitally-native generation confronting systemic failures in governance, economic justice, and social equity. These movements, while sparked by local triggers, are unified by a shared set of profound grievances, a common digital toolkit, a transnational culture of dissent, and a deep-seated crisis of legitimacy in existing political and economic systems. This analysis will dissect the unique characteristics of Generation Z, examine their novel protest repertoire, present in-depth case studies from across the Global South, and synthesize these findings to articulate a unified theory of their global rebellion. It will connect the dots between a pension reform in Peru, a social media ban in Nepal, and a power cut in Madagascar, revealing them as distinct symptoms of a singular, underlying global condition that this generation refuses to accept.
Part I: The Gen Z Zeitgeist: Forged in Crisis, Connected by Code
To comprehend the motivations and methods of the global Gen Z revolution, one must first understand the unique socio-psychological profile of the generation itself. Born roughly between 1997 and 2012, Generation Z’s worldview has been forged in an environment of perpetual crisis, shaping a cohort that is simultaneously pragmatic, anxious, and ideologically driven. Their political awakening is not an abstract intellectual exercise but a direct response to the precarious world they have inherited.
1.1 The Inheritors of Instability
Generation Z is the first cohort to come of age with no memory of a pre-9/11, pre-Great Recession world. The backdrop of their formative years has been one of relentless instability. Many witnessed their Millennial parents endure severe financial shocks during the 2008 economic crisis and its aftermath, instilling a deep-seated awareness of economic fragility from a young age.
This was compounded by their maturation amidst the tangible and escalating threat of climate change, a crisis they view as an existential threat to their future.
They were born into a world of “peak technological innovation,” where information and global connectivity were ubiquitous, but this digital immersion also meant constant exposure to global unrest, political polarization, and social injustice. For many, early life experiences included the country’s first Black president and the legalization of gay marriage, normalizing diversity in a way previous generations had not experienced. However, this was juxtaposed with the internalized stress of persistent social issues like gun violence, police brutality, and systemic racism, which became defining concerns of their adolescence.
The COVID-19 pandemic served as a profound accelerant, disrupting their education, social development, and entry into the workforce, while severely impacting their mental health. This confluence of economic, environmental, and social crises has created a generation acutely aware of systemic fragility and deeply skeptical of the institutions that have failed to prevent it.
1.2 The Duality of Pragmatism and Anxiety
The constant exposure to systemic instability has cultivated a unique psychological duality within Gen Z: a pronounced disposition towards anxiety coupled with a fiercely pragmatic approach to life. Data indicates that Gen Z is the most likely generation to report being prone to anxiety, with 28% acknowledging this tendency. Since 2020, there has been a 25% increase in Gen Z members reporting a mental health condition, a trend exacerbated by the pandemic and the constant pressures of social media. This collective anxiety is not a sign of weakness but a rational response to inheriting a world characterized by economic precarity, political polarization, and ecological crisis.
This ambient anxiety directly informs their pragmatism. Having witnessed the financial struggles of previous generations, Gen Z is remarkably financially minded. They are more likely than older cohorts to prioritize saving money and are investing at higher rates, demonstrating a clear focus on building personal financial security. This pragmatism extends to their careers. While often mischaracterized as lazy due to trends like “quiet quitting,” their desire for work-life balance, flexibility, and jobs that align with their values is not a rejection of work itself, but a rejection of exploitative work cultures that fail to provide stability or fulfillment. They prioritize mental health resources and sustainability practices in the workplace, viewing these not as perks but as essential components of a viable career.
This relationship between anxiety and pragmatism is crucial to understanding their political motivations. These are not opposing traits but a direct cause-and-effect linkage. The systemic instability they have observed is the source of their collective anxiety. In response, their financial caution and demands for a more humane workplace are rational coping mechanisms designed to build personal resilience in a world they perceive as fundamentally unreliable. Their activism, therefore, is the logical extension of this survival instinct. It is an attempt to force systemic change precisely because they have concluded, based on the evidence of their own lives, that the existing system is incapable of providing the security, stability, and just future they require.
1.3 The Progressive Imperative: A Values-Based Politics
For Generation Z, political engagement is fundamentally rooted in a core set of progressive values. Social justice is not a peripheral interest but is described as being “at the core of Gen Z’s identity”. Their activism is overwhelmingly values-based, centered on the protection and expansion of what they consider to be fundamental human rights. Surveys show their highest priorities include racial equity (a 70% priority), climate change (64%), gender equity (58%), and LGBTQ+ rights (57%).
Their approach is notably intersectional, demonstrating a sophisticated understanding of how identities such as race, gender, and economic status intersect to create unique and compounded experiences of injustice. This worldview is a product of growing up in the most racially and ethnically diverse generation in history and being exposed to a wide range of perspectives through digital media. Their support for movements like Black Lives Matter and their advocacy for climate justice reflect a deep-seated commitment to addressing systemic inequalities.
This progressive imperative is so foundational that it transcends traditional political divides. Even among self-identified Republicans, Gen Zers are more likely than their older counterparts to acknowledge that Black Americans are treated unfairly, to believe the government should play a greater role in solving problems, and to attribute climate change to human activity. For this generation, alignment on these core values represents the “table stakes” for political engagement. As one analysis notes, unless political parties or leaders align with their sense of values, they will not get far in convincing Gen Z to support their cause. This makes their political allegiance conditional and their activism a moral necessity rather than a mere partisan preference.
Part II: The New Protest Repertoire: Digital Agoras and Hybrid Tactics
The methods and organizational structures of Gen Z movements are as distinctive as their motivations. As the first generation of true “digital natives,” they have developed a new protest repertoire that leverages technology for rapid, decentralized mobilization while creating a globalized culture of dissent. This new model, however, contains inherent paradoxes, possessing unique strengths that are simultaneously the source of critical vulnerabilities.
2.1 From Hashtags to Barricades: The Digital-First Mobilization
Generation Z has never known a world without the internet, and social media is enmeshed in every aspect of their lives. Consequently, they utilize platforms like TikTok, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and the gaming application Discord not merely as channels for communication but as foundational infrastructure for political action. An estimated 66% of their activist efforts take place in the digital realm, from online fundraising to spreading awareness through viral content and hashtags. This digital fluency allows them to absorb, analyze, and respond to global events in real-time, positioning them as a significant voice of influence.
This digital-first approach fundamentally challenges the pejorative concept of “slacktivism,” or low-effort online support. For Gen Z, online and offline activism are not mutually exclusive but exist on a continuum. Digital engagement serves as the crucial preliminary stage for mobilization, education, and coordination.
They use social media to create safe spaces for discourse, call out corruption, and form alliances at an unprecedented pace. This online activity then translates directly into physical action. The case of Iih in Nepal, who used social media to gather thousands of youth for in-person protests against the government’s COVID-19 response, is a powerful example of this hybrid model. For this generation, activism is an ongoing effort embedded in daily life, where digital campaigns build the necessary momentum and tangible support for potent real-world expressions of solidarity like marches and rallies.
2.2 Decentralization and its Discontents: The Power and Paradox of Leaderless Movements
A defining characteristic of the 2024-2025 protest wave is its decentralized, often anonymous, and “leaderless” organizational structure. Movements coalesce organically online, coordinated through encrypted messaging apps and closed-group platforms. In Morocco, the “GenZ 212” group organized protests using TikTok, Instagram, and Discord, with one Discord server surging from 3,000 to over 150,000 members in a matter of days. Similarly, in Nepal and Peru, youth participatory groups used Discord servers and Instagram channels as central organizing hubs, creating agile and horizontal movements without formal leaders or reliance on traditional political parties.
This decentralized model presents a significant strategic paradox. On one hand, it offers profound resilience. Without a formal leadership hierarchy for the state to target, it becomes exceedingly difficult for authorities to decapitate or disrupt the movement through arrests or intimidation. Activists often use pseudo-accounts to operate anonymously, evading surveillance and allowing for flexible, adaptive tactics, such as announcing rally points and then changing them at the last minute via secure channels to evade police.
On the other hand, this same structure is a source of profound tactical vulnerability. The heavy reliance on social media algorithms, which are designed to amplify emotionally charged content, can cause movements with legitimate grievances to devolve into disorganized and “violent mobs”. More critically, the lack of a centralized leadership structure often leads to agenda fragmentation. As observed in Thailand’s 2020 youth movement, the rise of competing hashtags and online influencers can cause the movement’s goals to shift daily, undermining internal coherence and making it difficult to build durable coalitions with other pro-democracy groups. This creates the ultimate paradox of the Gen Z protest model: the very characteristic that allows these movements to emerge and scale with explosive speed is what makes them susceptible to internal collapse, state repression, and co-option by more organized, “entrenched social forces”. They possess the power to topple a government but often lack the sustained, coherent organizational structure required to build the new one.
2.3 A Globalized Culture of Dissent: Transnational Symbols and Tactics
The Gen Z revolution is characterized by a powerful cross-border dimension, with movements actively learning from and drawing inspiration from one another in a globalized feedback loop. This transnational solidarity is vividly illustrated by the widespread adoption of a shared cultural symbol: the “Jolly Roger” flag of the Straw Hat Pirates from the Japanese manga series One Piece. This flag, which in the series represents a crew dedicated to liberating oppressed people and fighting an autocratic World Government, has been embraced by youth protesters from Indonesia and Nepal to Madagascar as a global emblem of collective action and resistance against perceived injustice.
This global consciousness extends beyond shared symbols to direct, peer-to-peer tactical learning. Protesters in Madagascar, for instance, were reported to have joined the Discord servers of the Nepali Gen Z movement specifically to learn protest strategies and organizational tips. Similarly, successful anti-government movements in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh served as direct inspiration for subsequent uprisings in Nepal and Madagascar. This demonstrates a new and potent form of globalized dissent, where tactics, symbols, and morale are transmitted instantaneously across continents via digital platforms, creating a common vocabulary and a shared sense of purpose among a generation that increasingly sees its struggles as interconnected.
Part III: Anatomy of a Revolution: Global Case Studies
The global patterns of Gen Z activism are best understood through the specific contexts in which they have erupted. The 2024-2025 protest wave provides a rich set of case studies across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, demonstrating how local triggers consistently ignite deeper, shared grievances related to economic precarity, government corruption, and the failure of the state to meet the basic needs of its youngest citizens.
| Country | Immediate Trigger | Deeper Grievances | Key Digital Platforms | Core Tactics | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nepal | Government ban on 26 social media platforms | Systemic corruption, nepotism (#nepobabies), economic distress, high youth unemployment | Discord, TikTok, Instagram, X | Internet activism, mass demonstrations, riots, arson of government buildings | Protesters’ Victory: Prime Minister resigned, social media ban lifted, parliament dissolved |
| Madagascar | Chronic water and electricity shortages | Endemic poverty, corruption, abuse of power, high unemployment | Facebook, TikTok | Mass demonstrations, online coordination, civil disobedience | Regime Change: Military sided with protesters, leading to a coup; President fled the country |
| Peru | Controversial pension reform law forcing youth into private funds | Government corruption, economic instability, high unemployment, rising crime | Social media (general), messaging groups | Mass demonstrations, clashes with police, worker strikes | Partial repeal of pension law; President removed from office (unrelated to protests but amid crisis) |
| Bangladesh | Discriminatory government job quota system | Nepotism, corruption, democratic backsliding | Social media (general) | Student-led mass protests, non-cooperation movement | Revolution: Prime Minister ousted and fled into exile; interim government formed |
| Sri Lanka | Severe economic crisis (inflation, shortages of fuel/medicine) | Long-term economic mismanagement, corruption, government incompetence | Social media (general) | Mass protests, occupation of government buildings | Regime Change: President ousted and fled into exile; government overthrown |
| Morocco | Poor public services (education, healthcare) vs. World Cup spending | Social injustice, inequality, high youth unemployment | TikTok, Instagram, Discord (“GenZ 212”) | Mass demonstrations, riots | Protests ongoing; government expressed openness to dialogue amid crackdowns |
| Kenya | Unpopular finance bill and tax increases | Government fiscal policies, economic hardship, corruption | Social media (general) | Online education campaigns, coordinated nationwide demonstrations | Government forced to withdraw the finance bill |
3.1 The Asian Tinderbox: Corruption, Nepotism, and the Digital Trigger
In South and Southeast Asia, a series of successful youth-led revolutions demonstrated a recurring pattern: a seemingly minor act of government overreach, often in the digital sphere, served as the spark that ignited a tinderbox of long-simmering public fury over corruption and elite impunity.
The 2025 protests in Nepal provide a quintessential example. The immediate catalyst was the government’s decision on September 4 to ban 26 major social media platforms for failing to register under new rules. This act was perceived by Nepal’s youth not merely as censorship but as a direct assault on their livelihoods and their primary space for social and political expression. With youth unemployment at 22.7% and a large portion of the population reliant on the digital economy and remittances, the ban threatened to sever a vital economic lifeline. This trigger unleashed years of pent-up frustration over systemic corruption and the flagrant displays of wealth by political elites and their families, a phenomenon that had gone viral under the hashtag #nepobabies. The result was a swift and violent uprising, organized on platforms like Discord, that saw government buildings set ablaze and culminated in the resignation of Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli and the dissolution of parliament within five days.
This pattern was preceded by similar events in the region.
The 2024 student-led movement in Bangladesh against a discriminatory government job quota system is widely cited as the “first successful Gen Z revolution,” setting a powerful precedent. That movement, framed as a response to deep-seated nepotism, escalated into a non-cooperation movement that ultimately led to the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. In Sri Lanka in 2022, a devastating economic crisis born of long-term mismanagement and corruption fueled mass protests that saw the presidential palace occupied and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa forced into exile. In each case, the core grievance was a political class perceived as corrupt, unaccountable, and disconnected from the profound economic hardship of its people.
The African Uprising: The State’s Failure to Provide
Across several African nations, Gen Z-led movements have been catalyzed by a more fundamental grievance: the state’s abject failure to provide basic services and economic opportunities for its burgeoning youth population.
In Madagascar, protests that began on September 25, 2025, were triggered by chronic and severe water and electricity shortages that crippled daily life. This initial grievance against the state-owned utility company, Jirama, quickly morphed into a broader movement demanding systemic reform and the resignation of President Andry Rajoelina. Protesters pointed to the paradox of a resource-rich nation where 75% of the population lives in poverty, a reality they attributed to endemic corruption and abuse of power. After weeks of demonstrations and a brutal crackdown that left at least 22 people dead, the movement reached a tipping point when an elite military unit, CAPSAT, sided with the protesters. This defection led to a military coup d’état, forcing President Rajoelina to flee the country.
Similar dynamics have been observed elsewhere on the continent. In Morocco, youth organized under the “GenZ 212” banner to protest the poor state of public education and healthcare, outraged that the government was investing billions in hosting the 2030 FIFA World Cup while basic services crumbled. The slogan “We want hospitals, not stadiums” encapsulated their frustration with misplaced government priorities. In Kenya, youth mobilized against a controversial finance bill that imposed significant tax increases, viewing it as an unbearable burden on a population already struggling with economic hardship. In all these cases, the core issue is a crisis of governance, where the state is seen as failing in its most basic duty to provide for the welfare of its citizens.
The Latin American Front: Resisting Neoliberal Legacies
In Latin America, Gen Z activism has often focused on resisting specific economic policies perceived as extensions of a neoliberal model that exacerbates precarity and inequality.
The protests in Peru during September 2025 were ignited by a deeply unpopular pension reform law. The new legislation required all citizens over 18 to register with a private pension fund administrator (AFP), a move seen as a “final blow” to a generation already grappling with around 70% unemployment and precarious work conditions. The law was viewed as blatantly benefiting private financial interests at the expense of young workers’ futures. While the immediate demand was the repeal of the law, the protests rapidly expanded into a broader denunciation of President Dina Boluarte’s government, which itself had come to power following the controversial ouster of Pedro Castillo. The movement became a confluence of outrage against corruption, rising crime, economic instability, and the illegitimacy of the political establishment, uniting students, workers, and pensioners in a demand for fundamental structural change. The government’s partial repeal of the law was insufficient to quell the unrest, as the movement’s goals had evolved from a single-issue protest to a comprehensive rejection of the entire political system.
Part IV: Connecting the Dots: A Unified Theory of Grievance
While the immediate triggers of the Gen Z revolutions vary by nation, a deeper analysis of the case studies reveals a powerful set of interconnected grievances that form a unified theory of their global discontent. These movements are not random expressions of anger but are rooted in a shared experience of economic precarity, a profound crisis of political legitimacy, and an intersectional worldview that refuses to separate economic, political, and social justice.
4.1 The Global Precariat: An Economic Foundation of Fury
The primary unifying grievance across all Gen Z movements is a profound and pervasive sense of economic precarity. This is a generation coming of age in a global economy characterized by high youth unemployment, stagnant wages, soaring living costs, and the rise of insecure, informal work—the “uberisation” of labor.
In Southeast Asia, a 2024 study found that “unemployment and recession” was the most pressing concern among youth, followed closely by the “widening socio-economic gap”. In the United States, concerns about affording rent, repaying student debt, and job security are rampant among Gen Z, with many part of the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) population who struggle to achieve financial stability despite working.
This experience is even more acute in the Global South. A “youth bulge” in these regions means vast numbers of young people are entering economies weakened by decades of neoliberal austerity policies, with little prospect of finding dignified work. In Nepal, youth unemployment stands at over 20%, forcing many into economic migration not as a choice but as a necessity. The anger is fueled by a palpable sense of a “bleak and hopeless” economic future, where the social contract—that education and hard work lead to a stable life—appears to be broken. This shared material hardship forms the bedrock of their collective fury, providing a common economic foundation for protests, whether they are sparked by a tax hike in Kenya, a pension reform in Peru, or a lack of jobs in Nepal.
4.2 The Crisis of Legitimacy: A Rejection of Corrupt and Unresponsive Systems
Layered upon this economic anger is a deep and corrosive crisis of political legitimacy. Across continents, Gen Z expresses a profound distrust in political institutions, which they view as corrupt, captured by nepotistic elites, and fundamentally unresponsive to the needs of ordinary people. The flaunting of lavish lifestyles by the children of political leaders on social media—the “#nepobabies” trend in Nepal and similar phenomena in Madagascar—crystallizes this sentiment, providing a stark visual contrast between elite privilege and mass suffering.
This perception of a “governance deficit” is a critical factor. It means that state actions are often interpreted not as legitimate policy decisions but as further acts of oppression by an illegitimate regime. A social media ban in Nepal is not just about regulation; it is an attempt by a corrupt elite to silence dissent and protect their unearned privilege. A pension reform in Peru is not just an an economic policy; it is a scheme to enrich private interests at the expense of the vulnerable. The core demand that echoes from Lima to Kathmandu to Antananarivo is for accountability, transparency, and a government that serves the public good rather than its own narrow interests. This rejection of the political establishment is so complete that in many cases, the ultimate goal of the protests becomes the overthrow of the entire government, as was successfully achieved in Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Madagascar.
4.3 The Intersectional Imperative: Fusing Economic, Political, and Social Justice
A superficial analysis might separate the Gen Z movements into two categories: “revolutions of survival” in the Global South, driven by material needs like water and jobs, and “revolutions of values” in the Global North, focused on post-material issues like climate justice and racial equity. However, this dichotomy is false and misunderstands the core ideological thread connecting these movements. For Gen Z, these are not separate issues but deeply intertwined facets of a single, unjust global system.
Their worldview is inherently intersectional. They understand that the same systemic corruption that allows political elites to embezzle public funds in Nepal is what enables governments and corporations to ignore the climate crisis globally. They connect the abuse of power that leads to police brutality against protesters in Peru with the systemic racism that fueled the Black Lives Matter movement, which resonated deeply with Gen Z worldwide. The fight for “social justice, transparency, and human dignity” in Madagascar is a holistic one; it is a fight for social and environmental justice, for a democracy where every voice counts.
Therefore, the Gen Z revolution is not merely a demand for a functioning system, but for a just system. It connects the right to electricity in Antananarivo with the right to clean air globally, and the right to a fair pension in Lima with the right to live free from discrimination everywhere. This holistic, intersectional demand for a more equitable future is the ultimate ideological current that connects the dots between these disparate uprisings, transforming them into a single, coherent global phenomenon.
Part V: The Aftermath and Future Implications
The global wave of Gen Z activism has already produced dramatic and tangible outcomes, reshaping political realities in multiple nations. However, these victories have come at a high cost, and the long-term trajectory of these movements remains uncertain.
Analyzing the aftermath reveals a complex landscape of successes, brutal repressions, and a fundamental paradox of power that will define the future of governance and dissent in the digital age.
Victories, Repressions, and the Paradox of Power
The immediate impacts of the Gen Z revolutions have been nothing short of stunning. In an astonishingly short period, these movements have achieved what years of traditional opposition could not: the ousting of entrenched governments in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Madagascar. They have forced policy reversals on issues ranging from tax hikes in Kenya to pension reforms in Peru. These successes underscore the formidable power of a digitally mobilized and ideologically unified generation.
However, these victories have been achieved at a staggering human cost. State responses have often been brutal, involving mass arrests, unlawful force, and the use of live ammunition against protesters, resulting in thousands of casualties and deaths across Asia and Africa. The casualty figures—over 8,400 killed and 50,000+ arrested in the Asian protests alone—paint a grim picture of the risks involved.
Furthermore, the very nature of these decentralized movements creates a critical challenge in the aftermath of their success. The ability to translate street power into durable, democratic political change remains a significant vulnerability. The case of Madagascar is illustrative: the military unit (CAPSAT) that sided with protesters to oust the president is the same one that now holds power, raising serious concerns about a transition to military rule rather than a new civilian regime. This highlights a broader trend identified by researchers: the success rate of unarmed mass campaigns has declined significantly in the digital era, falling from 65% in the late 1980s-1990s to just 34% between 2010 and 2019. The organizational model that makes Gen Z so effective at tearing down old structures may be ill-suited for the patient, coalition-building work of constructing new ones.
The Future of Governance and Dissent
The Gen Z revolution marks a significant break from the activist models of previous generations. Its characteristics—digital nativity, decentralized networks, and a hybrid online-to-offline approach—represent a new paradigm in political contention.
| Generation | Formative Events | Core Worldview | Primary Tactics | Key Issues |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baby Boomers | Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam War, Post-War Economic Boom | Idealistic but can be resistant to change; value of established norms | Organized marches, coalition building, traditional party politics | Civil rights, anti-war, social welfare |
| Millennials | 9/11, Great Recession, Rise of Social Media | Socially aware, value authenticity, early adopters of digital tools | Online awareness campaigns, petitions, “slacktivism,” curated online personas | Economic inequality (Occupy), social connectivity, work-life balance |
| Generation Z | Economic shocks, climate crisis, COVID-19, ubiquitous internet | Pragmatic yet anxious, values-based, digitally native, intersectional | Hybrid (digital-to-physical), decentralized networks, viral content, transnational symbols | Climate justice, racial equity, LGBTQ+ rights, government corruption, economic precarity |
The global wave of Gen Z activism portends a future of escalating conflict between a digitally empowered citizenry and states that are rapidly adapting their methods of control. Governments are learning from the Arab Spring and subsequent movements, deploying sophisticated tools of digital repression, including AI-driven surveillance, internet shutdowns, censorship, and legal frameworks designed to criminalize online dissent. This creates an escalating arms race between activist tactics and state control.
Ultimately, the Gen Z revolution signals a permanent and fundamental shift in the relationship between the state, the citizen, and the digital sphere. This generation’s unprecedented mobilization demonstrates its capacity to hold decision-makers accountable on a global scale, creating new spaces for civic engagement where they have been excluded from traditional ones. Their actions constitute what some activists have called a “civic renaissance”—a revitalization of political participation driven by a moral necessity to fight for a more just and sustainable future. While their structural vulnerabilities and the state’s adaptive repression create a deeply uncertain path forward, one conclusion is clear: the connected rebellion of Generation Z has set the stage for a new and turbulent era of global political contention.
