A single click and boom, the internet goes off. The entire household starts to complain.

In today’s highly digitalised world, the internet is deeply woven into our lives. As long as it’s working, everyone is busy with their own tasks. But the moment the power goes off, suddenly we have nothing to do. Where did all that work vanish?

Now bring it down to a student’s level. What about their lives? The internet fuels almost everything they do. AI, online research, school portals, assignment submissions, cloud storage, social media, video-sharing platforms and whatnot — they rely on the internet for nearly everything! Spending a single day, let alone a single hour, without the internet feels like walking on a hot tin roof.

“I’m not making excuses; I just need AI to help me with my assignment!”

So, what about the textbook?

“Oh, I don’t have the textbook. I never bought one!”

What about the library? The school library? A public library?

“Never been there!”

What if I challenged you to spend an entire day without the internet? An entire day? As in all 24 hours?

“Whew, that’s a lot, but I can try!”

As Ali and his elder brother Ahmed cycled through the streets, they happily chatted with each other. Their challenge was to take place the next day.

The following morning, with the sun’s rays forcing their way through the cracks in the window, Ali woke with a jolt. He searched for his phone, but it was nowhere to be found. That’s when it hit him: he had to spend the entire day without the internet. According to his elder brother, no internet meant no phone. Disappointment spread across his face.

His eyes wandered to the clock. It was 6:30. He dragged his sleepy feet to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

“Good morning, Mum!”

“Good morning! How come you’re up so early? Come on, have breakfast.”

Surprise spread across his mother’s face. For once, she hadn’t needed to wake him up. Instead, he had woken up early all by himself, even during the summer holidays.

Ali chatted with his mother as he chewed his bread. His summer holidays had started a month earlier, and he had nothing to do. Well, he did have holiday homework, but that practically counted as nothing. He had to do it anyway, so why not wait until July or even August? He spent almost an hour with his mother, having breakfast and helping her clear the kitchen table.

“Why not check on Ahmed?” he thought. He rushed upstairs and barged into his brother’s room. Ahmed was sleeping comfortably, one pillow lying on the floor and one leg dangling over the edge of the bed. Ali glanced at the window. It was tightly shut, leaving no room for the sunlight to enter.

He did what he had to do.

He jumped onto the bed and woke Ahmed up.

“Wake up! Let’s go outside!”

After much effort, Ali finally managed to get him out of bed.

They drafted a to-do list for the day.

“Add football, cycling, video games, padel, and…”

“Wait, what? It’s only 24 hours, and you want to fit everything into one day? Why don’t you spread these plans across the rest of the holidays instead?” Ahmed suggested.

Unhappily, Ali agreed. The boys spend most of the day indoors, reading some comics they once enjoyed when they were younger, and playing board games. Then in the late afternoon, they headed to the football ground. Before they knew it, the sun had set and darkness had enveloped the sky. They returned home, exhausted, but still buzzing with excitement from all the games they had played.

Ali had discovered so many things that he could have noticed long ago if he had only looked up from his screen: Making friends beyond social medial, meaningful conversations, living in the moment. Yes, no photos to capture every second, just memories to cherish. It wasn’t that he had anything against taking pictures, but this time he had truly been present, fully immersed in the moment.

What he had not expected was to gain a new perspective. A more optimistic outlook. He realised how small a part of the vast universe he was, like a single grain of sand on a beach.

Finally, when his phone was handed back to him, he simply placed it aside. He couldn’t believe himself. For the first time in a long while, he didn’t crave watching reels anymore.

He felt different from the day before. And that was exactly what Ahmed had hoped for.

Published in Dawn, Young World, July 11th, 2026