This country is paying its people to read. Can it stop brain rot?
- Singapore's National Library Board launched a five-year campaign this month to nurture reading habits, offering citizens $1 after completing 50 days of reading sessions logged on a government website.
- Facing a perceived decline in cognitive abilities dubbed "brain rot," educators note recent global rankings show 15-year-olds in the United States face plunging reading scores while Asian nations excel.
- Loh Chin Ee from the National Institute of Education calls 15 minutes a "nice, sweet spot" for daily reading, though psychologist Charissa Ng at Putra Star Care warns cash incentives may not cultivate lasting motivation.
- The initiative's charity drive aims to garner 7.5 million reading minutes to raise up to $118,300, while Isaac Neo, co-founder of the Modern Men's Book Club, reports members are rediscovering reading after years away.
- Ashley Chia, who runs a local book club, argues success requires fostering curiosity rather than just tracking daily minutes as officials aim to create a nation equipped to navigate an increasingly complex world.
29 Articles
29 Articles
Residents of one of the most prosperous countries are encouraged with financial rewards to spend time with a book. Singapore pays its citizens to read a book at least 15 minutes a day, trying to combat the growing phenomenon of "domscrolling" – the compulsive habit of spending endlessly on the phone. This ...
The phone ended up competing with the book for every minute of attention, and the authorities of a country decided to respond with an unusual measure: they pay people for the time spent reading. The program was launched in a state whose students reached the top of the world ranking PISA 2025 in reading.
This country is literally paying people to read, one page at a time, to fight the brain rot epidemic
Singapore launched a novel campaign to encourage citizens to read more. This initiative offers small cash payments for logging reading minutes on a government platform. The program aims to revive reading habits which are declining globally. Educators are grappling with the fallout of digital distraction on young readers. This scheme seeks to make reading a repeatable habit for a thoughtful nation.
The Independent
The Independent (US)The country that is paying its people to take up reading
National Library Board chief says ‘we want to see a nation of readers who are curious, thoughtful, discerning and equipped to navigate an increasingly complex world’
The Singaporean government has launched a new initiative to combat the habit of constantly watching negative news on social networks and the Internet. AzEdu.az reports that under the program, citizens earn 1 Singapore dollar when they register on a special platform that they read a book for at least 15 minutes every day. The project, which was launched this month,...
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