WASHINGTON – The American Lorna Goldstrand Klefsaas, concerned about the effects that Internet abuse has on minors, promised her son when he reached years that I would reward him with $1, 800 dollars when he turned 18 if he stayed away from social networks during that time .
And his son, Sivert Klefsaas, kept his promise. “I thought it was incredible,” he told CNN after last 19 February he claimed the promised prize from his mother.
Lorna Goldstrand was inspired by a challenge she heard on the radio called “16 by 12 ”, where a mother gave her daughter $1,600 dollars on her 16 birthday if she stayed away of social networks, he explained to the American chain. But she decided to up the ante to two more years and add another 200 dollars.
Your son explained that it was not too difficult for him to live without social networks and that he did not think much about it during the six years that his mother’s challenge lasted . In fact, the only app he had before the bet was Snapchat, which he deleted a day after testing it.
“I can’t say there was ever a time when I thought I was about to break ” the promise, he told CNN. “As (the challenge) progressed, it was more a matter of pride” to fulfill it, he added.
And he also had his friends to keep up with the latest trends or information that prevailed on the different networks.
His mother also said that she never had the need to check if her son had downloaded any stealth application: “It’s so competitive” that for him it was more important to show that he could meet the challenge and get extra time to concentrate on his studies and practicing sports.
Now, with his $1,800 dollars, Sivert told CNN that he hasn’t thought about buying it yet (when he had 12 joked about buying a house for years), but it will probably be some accessory for his dorm room at Northwestern St. Paul University in Minnesota, which he will attend next fall.
He has already also decided to make his first foray into the popular social networks cials: a profile has been created on Instagram.
Sivert is the youngest of four children, and his three older sisters used social media growing up. The mother explained that there were times when she felt that her daughters “got too involved” in these applications.
Lorna Goldstrand felt that the networks “were affecting her mood, her friendships” and, After the experience, he decided to try this new experience with the youngest.