Mother Rewards Son With $1,800 For Staying Off Social Media Until His 18th Birthday

An 18-year-old in Minnesota earned $1,800 by staying away from all the social media apps that others his age are typically obsessed with.

Sivert Klefsaas took up the challenge at the age of 12 after his mom, Lorna Klefsaas, promised to pay him $1,800 if he stayed away from social media until he turned 18.

The mother got the idea after hearing about something similar on the radio. "They were offering their child $1,600 to do something until they were 16. But I just remember thinking, 'Ooh, that's a really clever idea. I think maybe I'm gonna mention to Sivert and see if I can get him to wait on social media,'" Lorna told Good Morning America.

Sivert, only a pre-teen at the time, believed he could easily manage 6 years of not using social media. So the mother and son’s kitchen conversation soon led to Sivert taking up the “18 for 18 challenge."

"I was 12 (and thought) oh, yeah, $1,800? That's awesome," he told the outlet. "That's more money I've ever had in my life. Six years? That's nothing. I can do this."

Sivert admitted that he did get tempted to use social media and nearly gave up on the challenge midway. "I think halfway through I was like, 'Oh, maybe I want to be done,'" he told GMA. "But then I was like, well, then I did the last three years for nothing. So it was a pride issue."

The mother explained that she came up with the challenge after seeing her three older daughters’ relationship with social media.

"I had concerns over how I had seen it being used. One of my daughters in particular got deeply involved with it, where it was affecting her mood, her friendships. It was hurting her feelings. She had anxiety about keeping up streaks, and that just ended up being really detrimental to her," the mother explained to the publication. "So I thought, 'Boy if I could, I'd be willing to do whatever to keep Sivert off as long as I could, whatever that looks like.'"

Lorna also noted that her son was able to spend more time focusing on his grades and sports because of the challenge. Thanks to his mother’s concern, Sivert had an extra $1,800 with him when he turned 18 on Feb. 19, 2022.

"For some reason, kids and adults feel so comfortable behind a screen," Lorna said, according to CNN. "I'm so happy (Sivert) didn't have to read any of that."

Lorna said it was all about finding the right balance when it comes to using social media. "We are certainly not against social media, but it's the healthy using of it," the mother said. "It's about not letting yourself get weighed down by it, or addicted to it, or affected by things that people post."