Singapore Has Started Paying Citizens to Read Books Every Day — The Guardian
Singapore pays its citizens to read books for at least 15 minutes a day in an effort to combat mindless scrolling—the habit of mindlessly scrolling through news feeds and social media.
Under the program, participants earn points that can be exchanged for a small amount of money. To earn 1 Singapore dollar, or about 80 U.S. cents, participants must log 50 reading sessions on the government website. Each session lasting at least 15 minutes earns 20 virtual coins, and 1,000 coins are required to earn one dollar. Only one reading session per day counts.
Melissa Tam, director of the National Library Board, noted that sustainable reading habits are formed through small but regular actions.
“That’s why we’re starting with a simple goal: just read for 15 minutes a day—on the bus, before bed, or during lunch break,” she said.
The government wants to reduce the harmful impact of social media on young Singaporeans and is considering, among other measures, the introduction of a daily time limit. A recent study showed that mindless scrolling and social media addiction are causing the most harm to young people.
Despite the government’s concerns about reading levels, 15-year-old students from Singapore recently ranked first in the global reading literacy rankings of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), ahead of China and Taiwan.
Source: The Guardian.
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