Sivert Klefsaas is US$1800 richer after successfully winning a bet with his mother to stay away from social media for six years.

The 18-year-old gushed about his triumph in the challenge as he shared the details of the rather wager with American media house CNN on Tuesday.

 It all started in 2016 when Lorna Goldstrand Klefsaas challenged her then 12-year-old son Sivert to abstain from social media until he was 18.

The reward for such a challenge was was of cash incentive to paid on his birthday, terms which the teen was more than willing to accept, and successfully kept.

So, when his birthday came on February 19, 2022, he didn’t hesitate to let it be known.

A deal his mother Lorna was proud to lose as she expressed that it was a dependent habit she didn’t want him to develop.

Seeing how it affected his two older sisters, she wanted a different interaction for him.

“It was affecting their mood, their friendships and was kind of a depressant,” she said.

According to CNN, when one of Lorna’s daughters was 16, she took away her phone because of it. Lorna says her daughter later thanked her for doing so, as it improved her mood.

She added that she felt her daughters “got too engrossed” in their apps and feeds.

Sivert expressed that he didn’t mind and that it was the competitiveness that really pushed him.

“I wouldn’t say there was ever a time where I thought I was about to break,” he said. “As it went on, it was more of a pride thing,” he added.

His mother seconded this notion, adding: “He’s so competitive, it was definitely more for proving a point.”

The teen also shared that beyond having cash on his mind, he was able to focus more and “avoid all the unnecessary drama” as he hears from his friends who are online.

In the end, he believes it was worth the wait, however, will be looking to go social when he starts classes at the University of Northwestern St Paul in the fall.

A change Lorna doesn’t mind, as she believes his mind is more mature to handle the unfiltered happening online now, adding that she is not against social media but a balanced use of it.

“We are certainly not against social media, but it’s the healthy using of it,” she noted. “It’s about not letting yourself get weighed down by it, or addicted to it, or affected by things that people post,” Lorna closed.