New Delhi, Sept. 9 -- Protests erupted in Nepal on Monday as countless young people descended on the streets against Kathmandu's ban on several social media platforms, including Facebook, YouTube and X, for not complying with registration requirements.

As reported, clashes with police left at least a dozen people dead and several others injured.

While this eruption may represent broad disaffection with Nepal's government, it is notable for what it suggests: that access to social media is seen as a civil right.

Cut citizens off, and they react as if the state has violated an inalienable liberty. Even in the US, the fear of a popular backlash may have kept its administration from banning TikTok for not turning its ownership local, with t...