How long can you stay away from social media? Many would ask if there is even a good reason to consider it an option. Well, you may not trust the numerous studies claiming that staying glued to your smartphone and scrolling for hours can lead you to develop depression, social anxiety, and even more addiction. In this case, maybe a financial incentive will work.
Perhaps that’s also what a mother had in mind when she decided to offer her son $1,800 to quit social media. According to CNN, the boy had to give up his habit of scrolling among posts for six years until he turned 18.
Lorna Goldstrand Klefsaas made the offer in 2016
Lorna Goldstrand Klefsaas is the name of the woman who offered $1,800 to her 12-year old boy Sivert to quit his social media habits. The boy bravely survived without social media and won the challenge. He claimed the prize this year on February 19.
Is there life without social media? Surprisingly for most teenagers of his age, Sivert said that it wasn’t too hard to continue his life without using social network apps. He even said that he wasn’t even using social media too much when the challenge started.
Sivert explained, as quoted by CNN:
I wouldn’t say there was ever a time where I thought I was about to break,
As it went on, it was more of a pride thing.
The boy’s mother declared, as the same source quotes:
We are certainly not against social media, but it’s the healthy using of it,
It’s about not letting yourself get weighed down by it, or addicted to it, or affected by things that people post.
We also like to emphasize that social media is a great concept, but it’s the way it is used by people that’s not ok all the time.