Singapore will pay those who read books for 15 minutes a day

Singapore pays those who read books for 15 minutes a day

The Singapore government has found an unusual solution to reduce addiction to social networks. Now, citizens who read books for at least 15 minutes a day will receive a financial reward.

The state program was launched in September and is aimed at forming a regular reading habit among the population. To receive the reward, it is enough for a citizen to dedicate at least 15 minutes a day to reading books. For such a reading session, 20 virtual coins are awarded. Once 1,000 coins are accumulated, they can be exchanged for 1 Singapore dollar (approximately 9,200 UZS). Only one reading session per day is counted.

The results are recorded through the government's website. Officials see this initiative as an alternative to the endless scrolling of news and social media feeds.

"We live in a world where there is an overload of content, information, and various influences. At any time, we can scan through hundreds of headlines, watch videos, or find out the summary of almost anything," said Melissa Tam, head of the National Library Board.

She emphasized that useful habits are formed through small but regular actions. For this reason, the organizers are starting with 15-minute reading sessions.

"Reading on the bus, before going to sleep, or during lunch," Tam said.

This initiative has become part of the Singapore government's large-scale efforts aimed at reducing the negative impact of social networks, especially on young people. The country is also considering the issue of introducing a daily time limit for using social platforms.

Despite the government's concerns regarding reading, Singapore's 15-year-old students recently ranked first in the world in reading literacy in the 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), surpassing China and Taiwan. Using financial rewards to form healthy habits is not new for Singapore. Previously, the state offered citizens vouchers and other rewards based on physical activity and daily step counts.