Singapore pays people to read books in fight against doomscrolling
Singapore has launched a program that rewards people for reading for at least 15 minutes a day as the government seeks to encourage daily reading and reduce doomscrolling.
Readers can log one 15-minute session a day on a government platform and receive 20 virtual coins. Accumulating 1,000 coins - or 50 days of reading - earns them S$1, about 80 US cents.
The initiative, launched this month, is intended to help improve concentration, critical thinking and imagination amid concerns about the amount of time people spend scrolling through online content.
“We live in a world of extraordinary abundance, of content, information and stimulation,” National Library Board chief Melissa Tam told The Straits Times. “At any moment, we can scroll through hundreds of headlines, watch a video or get a summary of almost anything.”
Singapore’s government is also considering measures to reduce the harmful effects of social media on young people, including possible daily time limits.
Despite those concerns, Singapore’s 15-year-olds recently topped the global reading rankings in the 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment.