Do you know what happened that he started needing a night light? Did he get up while it was dark to go to the toilet and walk into something solid or tread on something and give himself a fright. If that is what happened maybe give him a small torch at night that he is only allowed to use if he needs to go to the toilet. Did he suddenly start having nightmares?
I remember staying at a farm and the bed was under the window. I had a nightmare when I was 5 or 6 yhears old, started screaming and woke half the household up. I dreamt that somebody was climbing in the window onto my bed. I had recurring nightmares for about a year.
Has your son been able to tell you why he needs the night light? Reassurance if it was something like either of those two things may resolve the issue. Maybe tell him he is a big boy now and only little boys have night lights. He may be proud that you consider him to be a big boy, not a little one that needs lights on at night. They are the only suggestions I can think of.

I would try a plug in night light and then on occasion don’t turn it on to see if your son notices.

Why don’t you get a little plug in night light? They’re brilliant for the kids and also when you have visitors

he will grow out of it. I hope. my little one has a light on all night! the lamp in his room

Buy a wall plug in one. The are good for going to the bathroom at nighttime.

Try one of those small LED lights that plug into the wall. They’re very dim & safe. Good luck!!

cold turkey? can you buy a smaller plug in one?

We talked about sleeping in the dark, and then just left it for a while. A few weeks later he asked to try it… And most nights now he doesn’t have a night light.

you can get a plug in sensor light that lights up if someone approaches. If he is scared maybe have an open dialogue with him and tell him that you are going to turn the light off at night. Maybe give him a torch that he can sleep next too and turn on and start a rewards thing like a sticker chart for all the nights where he didn’t need the torch

In actual fact I have read a couple of articles that reckon night lights are not really good for your baby’s eyes. Do you have a light in your hallway that has a “dimmer” option. One of ours was getting up early in the morning before it was light so go a clock that has dark blue sky with stars on it = night – sleep……..and bright yellow with sun it means it is daytime and they can get up. It is set like an alarm but doesn’t ring or buzz at all. Te younger one now has it. The elder one now has an ordinary clock. There is a big age gap.

you could switch it off when you go to bed and see how you go and then switch it off earlier and earlier. the summer is easier to go to bed as it is lighter and winter darker (if you dont like the dark)

I found using a less bright night light (I got a battery operate ‘push’ light from the supermarket) for a while and then just used a light in the hall that just gave a glow in the kids rooms to help them gradually adjust.

I’m not going to ask why you feel he doesn’t need a light like others but I will tell you it should be a simple fix. Just don’t turn it on… pull the bulb out & say the bulb has blown, it doesn’t work. Eventually after a few nights he should hopefully be fine without it.

May not be an answer you’re looking for, but I use those LED night lights plugged into a power point. They use next to no electricity, automatically turn on when its dark/ off when its light, and just gives a soft glow to a room rather than a bright light left on all the time. My 2 yo has started to want the ceiling light on to go to sleep and I switch it off once she is asleep. The soft glow in her room from the LED light after that, is enough comfort for her. I have a second one in the bathroom that lets the other kids stumble to the bathroom without waking up the neighbourhood. The older kids grew out of wanting a light on their own at different ages, still not sure why they wanted it (one was scared of the dark, one was for comfort, one I’m sure was only to test my patience and try every last excuse in the dictionary as a reason not to go to sleep and then to keep playing when I thought he was sleeping, and the youngest I’m still guessing).
Good luck.

my son has a moon in my room on his wall he is 7 and it has a pale blue light tht turns on at night and off in the morning its about 15$ from kmart. I feel there is no need to take it from him as he gets really upset if he wakes at night and he can not see. He then wants to be in our bed. So to keep him in his own room we let him have the light.