MOTHER PROMISED SON $1,800 WHEN HE TURNED 18 IF HE STAYED OFF SOCIAL MEDIA

When Sivert Klefsaas turned 18 on Saturday, he got more than good wishes and gifts for the landmark birthday -- he also got $1,800 from his mother, after he lived up to a pledge he'd made six years earlier to stay off social media. Back in 2016, when Sivert was 12, his mother, Lorna Goldstrand Klefsaas, challenged him to stay off social media until he was 18, saying she'd give him $1,800 on his 18th birthday if he lived up to the pledge. Sivert told CNN it wasn't that hard to not be on social media, particularly since, as a 12 year old, he wasn't using it much anyway and only had Snapchat. Friends kept him up to date on the latest info or trends, and he explained, "I got to avoid all the unnecessary drama that was on there." His mother said not being on social media also gave Sivert more time to focus on his grades and sports. Sivert said he'll likely use the $1,800 to buy something for his dorm room at the University of Northwestern St. Paul, where he'll be going in the fall. As for social media, he said the first thing he plans to try is Instagram. Klefsaas said she believes her son has a different perspective on social media than he would have when he was 12, saying, "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."