Singapore has launched a new national program to gamify reading. The government is offering citizens financial rewards for putting down their smartphones and spending at least 15 minutes each day reading a book.
Singapore has launched a new national program to gamify reading. The government is offering citizens financial rewards for putting down their smartphones and spending at least 15 minutes each day reading a book.
The Guardian reports on an initiative aimed at combating mass "dumscrolling" (uncontrolled scrolling of social media feeds).
The wealthy city-state hopes to improve its citizens' concentration, critical thinking and imagination through a new system. To join the program, Singaporeans need to register on a special government website.
The app’s mechanics are similar to typical mobile games: for a single reading session lasting 15 minutes or more, the user receives 20 virtual coins. However, the limits are strict — only one such session per day is counted. To earn 1 Singapore dollar (about 80 US cents), you need to accumulate 1,000 coins, which is equivalent to 50 days of daily reading. The points you earn can be converted into real money.
“We live in a world of overwhelming content, information and stimuli. We know that habits are formed through small but consistent actions, so we started with a simple goal: just read for 15 minutes a day. On the bus, before bed or over lunch,” explained Melissa Tam, head of the National Library Board of Singapore.
The reading initiative is part of a broader government campaign. The government is also considering introducing daily social media time limits for young people, as recent research has shown that young Singaporeans are the most susceptible to addiction and doomscrolling.
Previously, a Japanese developer with the nickname ZOKUZOKU released a Chrome browser extension called Cat Gatekeeper , which helps users fight social media addiction. It covers the screen with an image of a huge ginger cat, preventing them from scrolling through their feed.
