This Cape Town teen wrote a book after his mom banned him from social media

What do you do when your mom bans you from social media?

You put pen to paper and start writing a book – at least that’s what Ameer Allie (18) did when his mother told him to stay off social media. 

Ameer’s mom, Dr Nihal de Vries, is a medical doctor working with infectious diseases in Cape Town.

She understands first-hand how distracting social media can be to students because she too found it difficult to focus when she was doing her degree, she says.

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Nihal also feared the damage the unrealistic images could do to her kids' self-image, creativity, world-view and self-expression, so she put her foot down and instituted the ban.

“I just thought that there are fewer distractions off social media,” she tells YOU. 

Ameer's mom was just looking out for her son when she banned him from social media. (PHOTO: Supplied/NRPR)

But where some teenagers would've seen a curveball, her son found an opportunity.

For the past few years Ameer had an idea brewing in his mind.

He thought the break from social media would be the perfect time to put it in writing.

After discussing the finer details with a friend, he got to work writing a book.

The book, called King’s Right Hand, was birthed from his fascination with the idea of a quiet leader. 

Ameer's novel, King's Right Hand, was published earlier this year and is available on Amazon. (PHOTO: Supplied/NRPR)

Set in a fictional Middle Eastern country, it tells the story of a brave advisor who must negotiate with a council of neighbouring nations to protect the interests of his king.

“You’d never know that once you step in a room with him, he holds all the cards," he says.

It took Ameer, who is in matric at Curro Century City High School, six months to finish it.

Every night he'd work on it. Whether it was just a paragraph or a full chapter, Ameer wrote a little every day.

“I had no deadlines, I was doing this for myself, so there was no need to press forward and get burnt out," he says.

The head of the school's English department, Cynthia Mills, helped him to edit the book and his dad, Waseef Allie, helped to get it published.  

Ameer's book was recently launched at his school and he's still blown away by the event.

“I loved it,” he gushes. “A whole evening for an 18-year-old. Nobody had to do that, but they did it regardless.”

The matric student had a blast when his school hosted his book launch. (PHOTO: Supplied/NRPR)

Ameer has always been an avid reader. He developed a love for literature around the age of five, before he branched out into writing. 

“In our family, reading is like a love language,” his proud mom says.

Nihal certainly has no regrets about banning her kids from social media. 

"It’s a powerful platform," she says, "but we need to teach kids to use it responsibly."

Ebrahiem Latief, who recently joined the English department at Curro Century City High School, is proud to be teaching Ameer in his final year. (PHOTO: Supplied/NRPR)

Ameer's English teacher, Ebrahiem Latief, is a big fan of his work.

“He's proof that you don’t have to wait to finish school to pursue what makes you happy," he says.

The teen is relishing the praise.

“It sounds bad, but I genuinely enjoyed the congratulations I got for doing something I was actually excited about – that I put a massive amount of time into,” he says.

Ameer plans to study law next year but will still dabble in writing. You might even see some of his work on social media now that his ban has been lifted.

“I have my freedom,” he says.