Father Agrees To Pay Daughter $200 To Quit Facebook

Father and daughter Facebook contract (Courtesy of Paul Baier)

More and more people are taking a break from Facebook. But not many are getting $200 for the effort.
Count Rachel Baier in that exclusive group. The 14-year-old made a deal with her father, Paul. If Rachel stayed off of Facebook for five months, she’d find herself $200 richer.
To make sure everything was above board, a contract was signed by both parties. Rachel will get $50 if she resists the call of Facebook until mid-April. She’ll score $150 more if she makes it to June 26. She has given her father her password, which he has changed to prevent her from accessing her account. According to the contract, Rachel intends to use the proceeds for “stuff.”
We spoke with Paul Baier about the plan. It turns out, it was Rachel’s idea. “She mostly wanted and needed the money as she has been frustrated by not finding babysitting jobs. She is an honors student but she says Facebook can be distracting.”
Rachel originally asked for $70, but then, like an expert negotiator, she came back and asked for $200. “When she realized it would be for five months, she wanted an amount that would really excite her,” Paul explained.
Paul hopes this may start a trend. “I’ve realized that she is part of a generation of kids that has grown up on Facebook. She’s been on it for two years full time. This is two years of 24/7 teen discussion of friends, clothes, parties, etc. They can’t get away from it. I’m proud she recognized the benefit of a hiatus. She plans to go on using it after the contract ends.”
The contract expires on the last day of school. So far, she has no regrets.