Kathmandu, May 26 -- On a recent working day, a public bus heading from Rabi Bhawan to Harhar Mahadev carried the usual afternoon crowd - shoulder-to-shoulder passengers, slow traffic outside, and a long stretch of silence inside.

The man seated next to a passenger was on his phone, scrolling through TikTok. The volume stayed high for the entire hour-long ride. He watched a clip, replayed it if it caught his attention, and flicked past anything that didn't hold it.

No one asked him to lower the sound. No one reacted. The bus moved through the city in the usual rhythm, but inside, attention stayed locked to screens. Nearly everyone on board was absorbed in their phones.

Scenes like this have become increasingly common in public spaces....