A Minnesota Mom Paid Her Son To Stay Off Social Media Until He Turned 18
Lorna Klefsaas of Motley Minnesota saw her daughter go through an emotional roller-coaster because of social media like Snapchat. Like most teens she became obsessed with the App and ended up having it affect her mood and even friendships. Lorna took her phone away from her and after a few a few weeks her daughter even thanked her.
Lorna has said that her daughter is now in grad school and has a healthy relationship with social media. This whole situation gave her the idea that she needed to prevent her son from falling into the same situation so she came up with an ingenious idea.
Back when her son Sivert was 12 years old she made a deal with him. His mom Lorna made him a promise. If he could stay off social media until he was 18, she would pay him $1,800. She called it "18 for 18."
Sivert admitted at 12 years old he did not really have a concept of money, so he thought that this sounded like a great idea! So let's fast forward to six years later and what do you know he stuck to his end of the bargain and received a check from his mom for $1,800.
The first thing he did was get an Instagram account, laughing saying he feels like he is 80 years old because he cannot figure out social media and has to constantly ask his friends to help him figure out how things work. Sivert did admit that it was tough at times being out of the loop, but his friends would help fill him in.
Sivert said he believes not having social media gave him more time to focus on his grades and sports, and now that he's 18, he feels he's more mature and ready to navigate the complex world of social media. He said to KARE11: "On the whole I would say totally worth it. I mean, I would do it again."
What a great idea if your kids can do it. Of course I grew up without the internet and social media, but if all my friends were using it I don't think I could have done it. Now at this point in my life I have a full blown panic attack if I leave my phone at work. I say good for you Sivert and hopefully you get something nice for yourself with your windfall of cash.