New Delhi, September 4, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists warns that the Nepali government’s decision to block access to social media platforms across the country will seriously hinder journalists’ work and people’s access to news and information. 

“Nepal’s sweeping ban on social media sets a dangerous precedent for press freedom,” said CPJ Regional Director Beh Lih Yi. “Blocking online news platforms vital to journalists will undermine reporting and the public’s right to information. The government must immediately rescind this order and restore access to social media platforms, which are essential tools for exercising press freedom.” 

On Thursday, Nepal’s Ministry of Communication and Information Technology directed the Nepal Telecommunications Authority to immediately shut down access to platforms that had failed to heed an August 25 Cabinet directive requiring foreign social media and online streaming platforms to register within seven days.

The Supreme Court also ruled on August 17 that online platforms must be registered before operating in Nepal, so as to monitor misinformation.

Platforms’ internet access may be restored gradually if they initiate the registration process, according to a copy of the ministry’s September 4 directive, reviewed by CPJ.

The Japanese-owned app Viber and Chinese-owned TikTok have registered, while most major Western platforms including Facebook, YouTube, and X have not, newsreports said.

Communication Ministry Secretary Radhika Aryal did not immediately respond to CPJ’s emailed request for comment. However, in an interview with the news site Corporate Nepal, she said that Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, had repeatedly refused government requests to register.

Meta, X, and Google, which owns YouTube, did not immediately respond to CPJ’s emailed requests for comment.