{"id":415615,"date":"2025-09-11T11:08:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-11T11:08:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/415615\/"},"modified":"2025-09-11T11:08:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T11:08:09","slug":"nepals-social-media-ban-frances-curfew-6-countries-that-dont-let-you-use-facebook-instagram-twitter-or-whatsapp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/415615\/","title":{"rendered":"Nepal\u2019s social media ban, France\u2019s curfew: 6 countries that don\u2019t let you use Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or WhatsApp"},"content":{"rendered":"

In September, Nepal banned 26 social media platforms<\/a>, including Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter (now X), WhatsApp and LinkedIn. The ban triggered nationwide protests and unrest, forcing the government to reverse it within a week.<\/p>\n

France, meanwhile, has not imposed a nationwide ban but is pushing strict controls for minors. President Emmanuel Macron and lawmakers have proposed banning social media for children under 15.<\/p>\n

Also Read<\/strong> | Nepal Unrest: Meet Sudan Gurung, the face behind Gen Z protests<\/a><\/p>\n

Here are countries that have banned social media, selectively or otherwise.<\/p>\n

China<\/p>\n

In mainland China, social media<\/a> is blocked under the \u201cGreat Firewall\u201d. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter (X), YouTube and Snapchat cannot be used without VPNs.<\/p>\n

Instead, people use monitored apps such as WeChat, Weibo, Douyin and QQ. However, Hong Kong and Macau remain exceptions.<\/p>\n

North Korea<\/p>\n

In North Korea, people cannot access platforms like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube or Twitter (X). Only government elites, researchers and some foreigners use a tightly-monitored internet.<\/p>\n

Ordinary citizens are limited to a state intranet called Kwangmyong. Accessing or spreading foreign media is a crime.<\/p>\n

Also Read<\/strong> | \u2018Saw over 15 people being shot\u2019: Nepal Gen Z protester recalls horror<\/a>Russia<\/p>\n

Russia banned Facebook<\/a>, Twitter (X) and other major platforms in 2022. The government enforces strict censorship and surveillance. It regularly blocks sites seen as hostile.<\/p>\n

Iran<\/p>\n

Iran has long banned Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other platforms. The government censors online activity to block politically-sensitive content and promote domestic apps.<\/p>\n

Despite strict monitoring and restrictions, many Iranians use VPNs and tools to bypass controls and access blocked sites.<\/p>\n

Turkmenistan<\/p>\n

Turkmenistan blocks almost all foreign social media. People cannot use Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram. Internet access is tightly controlled, with only state-approved sites allowed. Independent online communication is nearly impossible.<\/p>\n

Also Read<\/strong> | TikTok influencer, family found dead wrapped in plastic in Mexico truck<\/a>Myanmar<\/p>\n

Myanmar banned Facebook, YouTube and other social media after the February 2021 military coup. The junta blocked platforms to silence dissent and control news.<\/p>\n

Internet shutdowns are frequent. Yet, some citizens use VPNs to bypass restrictions and share information.<\/p>\n

Other countries<\/p>\n

India banned TikTok and many Chinese apps on security grounds. Turkey often blocks Twitter, Facebook and YouTube during unrest. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Vietnam and the UAE impose varying restrictions.<\/p>\n

Ethiopia shuts social media during unrest or ethnic clashes. Bangladesh sometimes blocks platforms to curb misinformation. Pakistan imposes selective bans during political events. Posts seen as \u201cblasphemous\u201d are also prohibited.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In September, Nepal banned 26 social media platforms, including Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter (now X), WhatsApp and LinkedIn.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":415616,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5309],"tags":[142618,2000,299,36,140982,142622,142620,142614,142621,142615,142617,142619,142616],"class_list":{"0":"post-415615","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-france","8":"tag-did-nepal-ban-social-media","9":"tag-eu","10":"tag-europe","11":"tag-france","12":"tag-nepal","13":"tag-nepal-me-social-media-ban","14":"tag-nepal-news","15":"tag-nepal-social-media-ban","16":"tag-nepal-social-media-ban-reason","17":"tag-social-media-ban-in-nepal","18":"tag-social-media-ban-in-nepal-why","19":"tag-why-did-nepal-ban-social-media","20":"tag-why-nepal-social-media-ban"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115185353172742880","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/415615","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=415615"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/415615\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/415616"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=415615"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=415615"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=415615"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}