Singapore: Payment for Reading

 Singapore is paying its citizens to pick up a book for at least 15 minutes a day in an effort to fight the rise of doomscrolling.

The affluent city hopes the strategy will improve concentration, critical thinking and the imagination of its citizens  .

Readers will be awarded points that can be redeemed for cash. Logging 50 daily reading sessions on a government website will earn one Singapore dollar (58p). Payable sessions are limited to one a day and must be 15 minutes or more.

Singapore: View across the Harbour to Fort Canning and the Cathedral
John Edmund Taylor (active 1860-1885)
Wellcome Collection [Public Domain]

The national library board's chief executive, Melissa Tam, said sustainable reading habits were built through small and achievable steps.

"We live in a world of extraordinary abundance, of content, information and stimulation," she told the Straits Times. "At any moment, we can scroll through hundreds of headlines, watch a video or get a summary of almost anything.

"We know that habits are built through small, consistent actions. So we are starting with a simple goal: just read for 15 minutes a day. On the bus, before bed or over lunch."

The government is considering ways to make social media less harmful for young Singaporeans, including a daily time limit.

Doomscrolling and social media addiction caused most harm to young people, a recent study found.

It is not uncommon for Singapore's government to use financial incentives to try to influence the behaviour of its citizens. Previous health-focused initiatives have included supermarket vouchers for walking and prizes for hitting daily step targets.

Despite the concerns about literacy, Singapore's 15-year-old students topped the world ranking for reading in the 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment, beating China and Taiwan. Britain came 10th and Ireland was 7th.

(Mark Saunokonoko, The Guardian, 2026)

Will those who read for money continue to read when the financial incentive disappears?

Is there any study to be undertaken before, during and after the programme to evaluate whether concentration, critical thinking and imagination have improved?

Why not have a 15 minute silent reading session before lessons begin or after the lunch break. Libraries could do something similar.

Singapore is to be congratulated for its interesting approach in trying to reduce the amount of time young people spend on social media. Time will tell if the strategy has been successful.