‘Nepo Baby’ Trend Goes Viral in Nepal: TikTok and Reddit Users Expose Lavish Lives of Politicians’ Children

Kathmandu: A new trend is going viral on TikTok and Reddit under hashtags like #NoMoreCorruption and #WakeUpChallenge, exposing the lavish lifestyles of politicians’ children. Videos set to English songs with flashy effects show the imagined luxury of leaders and their children, contrasted with scenes of poverty, forced labor, and suffering endured by ordinary Nepali families.

The campaign goes beyond entertainment. It urges users to boycott brands promoted by leaders’ children, unfollow them on social media, and question the source of their wealth. Painful visuals accompany the posts, such as emotional farewells at Tribhuvan International Airport as workers leave for foreign jobs, bodies returning in wooden boxes, and villagers still risking their lives crossing rivers on tuin.

Campaigners emphasize that this is not about caste or ethnicity but about Nepalis versus corrupt leaders. They call on citizens to boycott and join the trend. Social media users insist that the movement is not an attack on social harmony but a collective voice against corruption.

Posts ask questions like “Where does our tax go?” while showing politicians’ children flaunting luxury cars, branded clothes, foreign vacations, and extravagant parties. These are compared directly with the struggles of ordinary people. The trend has also spiked searches for terms like “corrupt politicians of Nepal,” “election,” and “children of Nepali politicians.” Photos of former President Bidya Devi Bhandari, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, former Prime Ministers Sher Bahadur Deuba, Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda,’ and Dr. Baburam Bhattarai are being circulated, along with images of their children and grandchildren, such as Prachanda’s granddaughter Smita Dahal and Sher Bahadur Deuba’s son Jaya Bir Singh Deuba.

Similar Campaign in the Philippines Inspires Nepali Users

This movement mirrors a recent campaign in the Philippines, where social media users exposed the extravagant lifestyles of officials’ children amid allegations of corruption in a flood control project. On Reddit, the group ‘lifestylecheckPH’ quickly attracted nearly 7,000 followers, posting screenshots of private jet trips, luxury shopping, and supercars of the so-called ‘Nepo Babies’ tied to government scandals. The Nepali campaign appears to be influenced by this model, with similar posts now appearing in Reddit communities like ‘Nepal’ and ‘NepalSocial.’

Nepali Youth Push for Street Protests

Activists argue that online protests alone are not enough. “This is our time. The more we remain silent, the more they will exploit us,” one Reddit user wrote. With the government attempting to ban social media, calls are growing to unfollow celebrities, influencers, and public figures who remain silent on national issues. Protesters say silence amounts to siding with the country’s destruction, citing a successful “unfollow campaign” in Bangladesh as an example.

Some users have even suggested extreme measures, such as seeking help from forums like 4chan or adopting Indonesia’s Straw Hat Protest. Facing backlash, several children of Nepali politicians have now made their social media accounts private or disabled comments.

A physical protest has been announced for September 8 at the Parliament Building, with organizers stressing that the movement must extend beyond the digital sphere and take shape on the streets.

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