Apparently, when it comes to keeping one’s kids off social media sites, money talks.
For proof, look no further than Motley, Minnesota, where a mother paid her 12-year-old son $1,800 to stay away from sites like Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat. “I was already a little sensitive to social media since his siblings had struggled with it a bit,” says Lorna Klefsaas. “I watched social media cause stress, anxiety, and hurt feelings in my other kids and I loved the idea of coming up with a way to spare Sivert from that.” Klefsaas says the amount she paid him reflected the age he was allowed to rejoin the sites: 18. He celebrated the milestone on Saturday after six years off the social media radar.
Back in 2016, a Minnesota mom challenged her 12-year-old son to stay off of social media for six years. If he succeeded, she would give him $1,800 on his 18th birthday. This past Saturday, he finally claimed his award! https://t.co/jaNflYkF7d
— FOX 13 Tampa Bay (@FOX13News) February 24, 2022
While Sivert Klefsaas upheld his end of the bargain, he admits the deal sounded a lot better to him when he was 12 years old. “When I was 12, I thought $1,800 was a lot of money,” he says. “There were definitely times where I wanted to crack. There were times I missed out on inside jokes or TikTok trends, but I found ways to be informed. My friends would eventually fill me in.”
Do social media sites have a negative effect on children?
