Shop
 Explore 

Teen son wins mom's $1,800 bet he couldn't stay off social media for 6 years

social media teens, sivert klefsaas

via Aranami/Flickr and Unsplash

The "18 for 18 challenge."

There is a lot of research that needs to be done on the effect that social media has on adolescents but the early studies suggest some reason for concern. The University of Columbia says that the more time teens spend on social media, the more likely they will experience mental health symptoms like anxiety, isolation and hopelessness.

Teens who can’t help but compare themselves to others are bound to have a difficult time with their self-image after spending hours a day scrolling through a world that’s predicated on likes, followers and comments.

Social media also makes it easy for teens to minimize their face-to-face contact with others. This can exacerbate feelings of alienation and hopelessness in those who suffer from social anxiety and depression.

One of the most disturbing studies out of BYU has found a correlation between time spent on social media and suicidality risk among teenage girls.

Lorna Klefsaas’ daughter had a tough time with Snapchat in her teens. "She got so obsessed with keeping up her Snapchat streaks that it was really affecting her mood. It was affecting her friendships,” the Minnesota mom told WUSA9.

The daughter is in grad school now and doing great with her social life, but Klefsaas hadn’t forgotten about her daughter's troubles when her younger son, Sivert, turned 12. She wanted to do whatever she could to keep him off social media, so she made him a bet. If he could stay off until he was 18, she would pay him $1,800. She called it the “18 for 18 challenge.”

"Being 12, I didn't really have that great of a concept of money yet. So, I was like oh sick, yeah, absolutely,” Sivert told WUSA9.

The student-athlete took on the challenge just like it was football or basketball. "He did really dig in. He was like ‘I'm not breaking this.’ I'm proud of him, because there were a few times where it was harder,” Klefsaas said.

"I knew for sure he was going to make it,” she added.

Klefsaas came up with the idea after hearing about another mother who issued a “16 for 16'' challenge to her daughter. She beefed up the deal by two years to hopefully carry her son into adulthood.

And it did.

Recently, when Sivert turned 18, he collected $1,800 from his family for being able to abstain from social media for six years. He celebrated the occasion by opening up an Instagram account, but he has a lot of catching up to do.

"It's hilarious. I feel like I'm like 80. I can't seem to figure out social media. It's pretty embarrassing. I'll be with my friends, and they are like, 'what are you doing?'" Sivert laughed.

Sivert is happy he took on the challenge and won because it allowed him to spend more time focusing on his academics and sports. "On the whole, I would say totally worth it. I mean, I would do it again,” Sivert says. He’s currently sifting through offers from colleges to play football next year.

Looking to help your kids develop healthy social media habits? Anne Marie Albano, Ph.D., director of the Columbia University Clinic for Anxiety and Related Disorders, said that it's best to set time aside every day where the phones are always off.

“Mealtimes are a great time to put the phones away. Another healthy habit is to set a time each night when you’ll put all the screens away to give yourself enough time to wind down and prepare the body for sleep,” she told Columbia University.

She also says that you can improve a child’s social media habits by implementing the “grandma's rule” we all abided by as kids. You’ve got to eat your veggies before you have dessert. First, kids have to exercise and do their homework before they earn their social media time.

From Your Site Articles

Related Articles Around the Web

internet culture

This is the most important van in NYC… and it’s full of socks.

How can socks make such a huge difference? You'd be surprised.

all photos provided by Coalition for The Homeless

Every night, the van delivers nourishment in all kinds of ways to those who need it most

True

Homelessness in New York City has reached its highest levels since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Over 50,000 people sleep each night in a shelter, while thousands of others rely on city streets, the subway system and other public locations as spaces to rest.

That’s why this meal (and sock) delivery van is an effective resource for providing aid to those experiencing homelessness in New York City.

Every night of the year, from 7pm to 9:30, the Coalition for the Homeless drives a small fleet of vans to over 25 stops throughout upper and lower Manhattan and in the Bronx. At each stop, adults and families in need can receive a warm meal, a welcoming smile from volunteers, and a fresh, comfy new pair of Bombas socks. Socks may be even more important than you think.

Bombas was founded in 2013 after the discovery that socks were the #1 most requested clothing item at homeless shelters.

Access to fresh, clean socks is often limited for individuals experiencing homelessness—whether someone is living on the street and walking for much of the day, or is unstably housed without reliable access to laundry or storage. And for individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness —expenses might need to be prioritized for more critical needs like food, medication, school supplies, or gas. Used socks can’t be donated to shelters for hygienic reasons, making this important item even more difficult to supply to those who need it the most.

Bombas offers its consumers durable, long-lasting and comfortable socks, and for every pair of Bombas socks purchased, an additional pair of specially-designed socks is donated to organizations supporting those in need, like Coalition for the Homeless. What started out as a simple collaboration with a few organizations and nonprofits to help individuals without housing security has quickly become a bona fide giving movement. Bombas now has approximately 3,500 Giving Partners nationwide.

Though every individual’s experience is unique, there can frequently be an inherent lack of trust of institutions that want to help—making a solution even more challenging to achieve. “I’ve had people reach out when I’m handing them a pair of socks and their hands are shaking and they’re looking around, and they’re wondering ‘why is this person being nice to me?’” Robbi Montoya—director at Dorothy Day House, another Giving Partner—told Bombas.

Donations like socks are a small way to create connection. And they can quickly become something much bigger. Right now over 1,000 people receive clothing and warm food every night, rain or shine, from a Coalition for the Homeless van. That bit of consistent kindness during a time of struggle can help offer the feeling of true support. This type of encouragement is often crucial for organizations to help those take the next difficult steps towards stability.

This philosophy helped Bombas and its abundance of Giving Partners extend their reach beyond New York City. Over 75 million clothing items have been donated to those who need it the most across all 50 states. Over the years Bombas has accumulated all kinds of valuable statistics, information, and highlights from Giving Partners similar to the Coalition for the Homeless vans and Dorothy Day House, which can be found in the Bombas Impact Report.

In the Impact Report, you’ll also find out how to get involved—whether it’s purchasing a pair of Bombas socks to get another item donated, joining a volunteer group, or shifting the conversation around homelessness to prioritize compassion and humanity.

To find out more, visit BeeBetter.com.

From Your Site Articles