Here’s the agreement between Paul Baier and his 14-year-old daughter, who he’s paying $200 to quit Facebook for five months. (practicalsustainability.blogspot.com)
(CNN) — How do you get a teenager to volunteer to quit Facebook?
Apparently, with cold, hard cash.
A Boston father is paying his 14-year-old daughter $200 to quit using the social site for almost five months, according to a post on his blog.
On Tuesday, Paul Baier, a research consultant from Boston, posted an image of a “Facebook Deactivation Agreement” with his daughter.
“Her idea which I support fully,” he wrote.
In the signed agreement, his daughter agrees to deactivate Facebook from this past Monday until June 26 (which, perhaps notably, would be well into summer break for most schools). In return, he’ll give her $50 in April and the remaining $150 in June.
Baier gets access to change her password and deactivate the account. Rachel’s one-word response on the line asking what she’ll use the money for: “Stuff.”
On the post, several people have praised or belittled the plan. One poster, in the shameless manner not unknown on the Web, called Baier an “idiot.”
“Why not try something called ‘parenting’. It’s more difficult than bribery but will more beneficial to your daughter in the long run,” the person wrote.
But Kent Wellington, who describes himself as a friend of Baier’s, responded.
“He’s a good guy and good parent. Regardless, there’s nothing wrong with a parent being proactive with their kids in the area of social media,” Wellington wrote. “I’m sure the dialog that lead up to the agreement was as valuable as the contract.”
Rachel may be in good company.
A recent report from the Pew Research Center says 61% of Facebook users have taken a break from the site for a few weeks or more.
