Doomscrolling may be one of the most pervasive digital-age problems we’re facing. Across generations, people are stuck in a cycle of aimlessly scrolling through Reels, TikTok or whatever else has them hooked, caught in a seemingly endless loop that can be hard to escape when a smartphone is always within reach. So, perhaps it’s only fitting that one country has officially started paying its residents to… read.
Singapore has launched a new nationwide initiative called ReadSG, which is attempting to lure residents away from their screens and back to books with a small monetary incentive. The idea is for people to read for at least 15 minutes a day, log it on the government-backed CrowdTaskSG platform, and earn virtual coins.
Before you start browsing flights to Singapore with a stack of novels in your carry-on, though, there is a catch. Participants earn 20 coins for a qualifying 15-minute reading session and need 1,000 coins to redeem S$1. In real terms, that means committing to the habit for 50 days to earn one Singapore dollar or around Dh2.70.
And no, reading for longer than 15 minutes in a single day does not appear to earn extra coins. The campaign rewards one eligible 15-minute reading session per day, capped at 20 coins daily.
Still, the point is not to turn reading into a side hustle. The five-year campaign, led by Singapore’s National Library Board, is designed to make reading feel like a daily habit again, particularly at a time when attention spans are constantly being tested by notifications, short-form content, breaking news alerts and the never-ending temptation to check “just one more” post.
The initiative launched earlier this month and is being trialled until the end of 2026. Alongside the individual reward system, ReadSG is also encouraging people to collectively log reading time for charity, with a target of 7.5 million minutes and the potential to unlock up to S$150,000 for selected causes.
It is a fascinatingly modern solution to a distinctly modern problem. Of course, there will be those who argue that people should read for pleasure, curiosity or escapism, rather than a tiny reward. And they are not entirely wrong. But if gamifying step counts can get people walking, perhaps gamifying reading can get people turning pages.
At the very least, it is a reminder that a book can still compete with a screen — even if it takes a few virtual coins to make the case.
Source: Khaleej Times