France, Oct. 2 -- After sweeping away the Nepalese government in early September and shaking up the Philippines, a wave of protests initiated by Generation Z has now spread to Madagascar and Morocco. In each case, the demands are similar, with a sense of injustice informed by images on social media.

A surge of rebellion led by young people born between 1997 and 2012 is rewriting the rules of protest, with the smartphone the new megaphone.

Over the past three years, the pace at which these movements are changing the status quo has accelerated.

In 2022, it took five months for Sri Lankan students and activists to topple the Rajapaksa dynasty, which had clung to power for nearly two decades. In 2024, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasi...