Mom Pays Son $1,800 to Stay Off Social Media

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.

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."

I don't fault this mother or child for this "social media challenge" but I'll tell you right now, I'm out! There's no way you could pay me $1,800 or even $18,000 to stay off social media. Saying that, it sounds like I have an addiction but I promise I don't. Okay, maybe a little.