Minneapolis, Minnesota - After seeing the negative effects social media had on her teenage daughter, one mom decided to try an unusual tactic to keep her then-12-year-old son Sivert offline until he was at least 18.

Lorna Klefsass thought money would talk loudest when it comes to convincing her son to save himself the potential grief that social media platforms bring.

So she promised him $1,800 if he promised not to use any social media . She dubbed it the "18 for 18 challenge."

NBC's Minnesota affiliate KARE reported that Sivert was enthusiastic about the challenge because he was more interested in being able to buy his own car one day than being on Instagram.

He took the deal, and Lorna breathed a little easier. The mother of two came up with the challenge idea after she heard about a woman who made a similar deal with her daughter.

Today, Lorna says it is the best investment she ever made, especially when she thinks back on her daughter's teenage years.

Sievert's sister had a very different experience with social media: "She got so obsessed with keeping up her Snapchat streaks that really it was affecting her mood. It was affecting her friendships," Lorna said of her daughter.

It got to a point that Lorna and her husband had to take away the teenage girl's phone and forbid her from using social media.

At first, the teenager was upset, but three weeks later she was thanking her parents for intervening.

Sivert told Today that he never missed social media because it wasn't part of his childhood. He also said he was still on top of the latest trends thanks to his friends, who kept him in the loop. And he says if he had a do over he would still take the deal: "On the whole, I would say totally worth it. I mean, I would do it again."

And yet, as soon as he turned 18 last week, he still signed up for Instagram...