Mom pays son $1,800 to stay off social media until he turns 18

How much does it cost to convince a child to stay off social media for six years? For one Minnesota mom, it cost $1,800.

In 2016, Lorna Klefsaas promised her then-12-year-old son Sivert $1,800 if he stayed off social media until he was 18.

Klefsaas says Sivert’s three older sisters would sometimes get too engrossed in social in their social media feeds. When she heard about a mom doing something similar with her 16-year-old daughter, Klefsaas decided to try it out.

Sivert was up for the challenge.

“Being 12, I didn’t really have a great concept of money yet, so I was like, sick! Yeah, absolutely,” he said.

Klefsaas’ bribe worked. Sivert stayed off social media until he turned 18 on Feb. 19.

“I’ve had it now, just kind of in my savings for probably six months because at that point I knew for sure he was going to make it,” Klefsaas said.

Sivert says the first social media app he plans to download is Instagram. He’ll attend the University of Northwestern – Saint Paul this fall and says he plans to use his winnings to buy something for his dorm room.

By Scripps National and CNN Newsource.