Teen challenged by his mom to stay off social media for 6 years collects $1,800 prize


A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Sivert Klefsaas is $1,800 richer, and all it took was for him to stay off of social media during most of his teenage years.
When the Minnesota resident was 12, his mom, Lorna Goldstrand Klefsaas, told him if he didn't use social media for the next six years, she would give him $1,800 on his 18th birthday. At that time, Sivert had only downloaded Snapchat and deleted it after a day, so he happily took her up on the offer. "I thought it was awesome," he told CNN.
Sivert held up his end of the deal, and on his 18th birthday on Saturday, his mom presented him with $1,800. Without the distraction of social media, Sivert told CNN, he was able to focus more on sports and getting good grades, while also avoiding "all the unnecessary drama that was on there."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
He's not sure yet what he'll spend his money on, but Sivert did figure out how to break his social media dry spell: he got an Instagram account. There's "definitely a learning curve," he said. "I see my friends fly through their social media apps and I can't do that quite yet."
Lorna is glad her son appears to have a "different perspective" on social media than he might have had otherwise. "We are certainly not against social media, but it's the healthy using of it," she told CNN. "It's about not letting yourself get weighed down by it, or addicted to it, or affected by things that people post."
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
The Swift-Kelce effect: a 'dream pairing' for the NFL
Why everyone's talking about Taylor Swift's appearance at the Chiefs vs. Bears game to see Travis Kelce added millions of TV viewers
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
When will your favorite show be back now that the writers strike is over?
The Explainer Here's when to expect new episodes of the late-night shows, 'SNL,' and more
By Brendan Morrow Published
-
Artworks stolen by Nazis returned to heirs of cabaret performer
It wasn't all bad Good news stories from the past seven days
By The Week Staff Published
-
Exodus begins from Burning Man after desert mud trapped tens of thousands
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
'Margaritaville' singer Jimmy Buffett dies at 76
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
American Airlines suing website that offers tickets via price loopholes
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Federal agencies investigating near miss between Southwest jet and private plane
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Euphoria' star Angus Cloud dies at 25
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Pee-wee Herman actor Paul Reubens dies at 70
Speed Read
By Brendan Morrow Published
-
Trader Joe's recalls 4 products in a week amid reports of rocks and insects inside food
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Emmys to be postponed for first time since after 9/11 due to strikes
Speed Read
By Brendan Morrow Published