Singaporean Najwa Alhabshi remembers spending her teenage years poring over literary classics such as F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and George Orwell’s 1984. The books introduced her to ideologies, philosophies and the American dream while expanding her vocabulary.

But as work commitments grew, the pages of her books started yellowing. Finding time to read became harder, and her smartphone screen eventually took over. “I think I just fell out of reading,” the 35-year-old tutor said. “Life got in the way – it was work, a lack of time, and eventually, the phone screen.” Across Southeast Asia, governments are stepping in to get people reading again. With screens reshaping how people consume information, concerns are growing over falling literacy rates, shortened attention spans and declining critical-thinking capabilities.

Singapore is one of those taking action. Earlier this month, the city state launched an initiative that pays citizens Under the scheme, users earn 20 virtual coins for every reading session lasting at least 15 minutes, logged via a government website. Recording one session a day for 50 days accumulates 1,000 coins, which can be exchanged for S$1 (US$0.78).

Developing a reading habit helped build the capacity to navigate an “increasingly complex” information landscape, said Melissa Tam, CEO of Singapore’s National Library Board.

“This is especially important for our children, who are growing up in a world where technological changes often outpace our ability to adapt,” Tam said.

The scheme relies on gamification to build daily reading streaks, according to Loh Chin Ee, an associate professor at the National Institute of Education.

“Sometimes it is helpful to have a little nudge or challenge to get one started,” Loh said. “Matching individuals to the right kinds of books they are interested in would be a good way to encourage people to get started on reading.” But attaching financial value to reading could backfire by stripping away its intrinsic joy, said Ng Siew Chin, an early childhood lecturer at the Singapore University of Social Sciences.

She suggested using social media platforms to promote excerpts from books and texts. “The attention of readers is gained through bite-sized posts like these to intrigue their curiosity to potentially access the full article or book,” she said.

Singapore is not alone in trying to revive reading habits. Other Southeast Asian countries have rolled out measures to raise literacy rates.

In July, Indonesia launched a countrywide distribution of more than 5.5 million books to primary and secondary schools. Jakarta said the 40.7 billion rupiah (US$2.27 million) project reflected its commitment to ensuring children have direct access to reading materials.

Neighbouring Malaysia is handing out 100 ringgit (US$24) vouchers to more than 2.2 million students to spend on its national digital book marketplace. The programme, which runs from July to October, expands on a 2024 initiative to include students across a wider age range.

At the launch of the Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair in May, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said books and education had to remain a priority despite fiscal constraints.

“If we want this country to become a truly civilised nation with a strong culture of knowledge and broad intellectual capacity, we must encourage reading,” he said.

He added that reading culture had become a problem, with many preferring to consume information from social media. “That is why I urge parents to monitor their children and ensure they start reading from tonight onwards.” Researchers and experts share those concerns, particularly as artificial intelligence tools become increasingly widespread. A global study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development released last month found that students are now reading at a level previously expected of students a year younger.

The study also found a decline in skills such as evaluating information, making connections across multiple sources and critical thinking, alongside an increase in hasty, superficial reading.

Overreliance on AI threatened the development of essential reading skills, said Portia Padilla, an associate professor in the College of Education at the University of the Philippines Diliman.

“If you do not think while reading, you are not truly reading,” Padilla said, adding that readers should use AI to challenge their assumptions rather than form judgments.

For Najwa, the battle begins at home. To instil a love for reading in her five-year-old son, she limits his screen time to just 15 minutes a month. Her son now reaches for short illustrated books when he wakes up, often pausing during walks to read words on road signs and pamphlets.

“Beyond just expanding vocabulary, reading does so much more for our children,” the tutor said. “Books are portals to a different world – through them, imagination lives.” While government intervention and incentives can nudge people to pick up a book, experts say they do little to build intrinsic motivation and cultivate lifelong habits.

Extra reading time did not automatically guarantee deeper understanding or critical thought, Padilla said. “Access and motivation are a starting point, not the finish line. True comprehension requires active engagement with the text. It goes beyond coins and vouchers.” Reading should be viewed as a commitment rather than a short-term campaign, she added, urging support across the whole ecosystem – including public policy, language development programmes and supportive environments at home and in the community.

Providing dedicated spaces for reading – such as quiet public zones or after-hours book clubs – could offer another way to build momentum, said Loh from the National Institute of Education, pointing out that “silent book clubs” were gaining popularity in Singapore.

Community book groups have sprouted up across the region, meeting in places such as a park in Manila and an art cafe in Penang to a wine bar in Singapore.

On the second floor of a deli in Bangkok, two dozen people gather once a month to share their latest reads. Participants at the Books at Banter book club are free to bring any book they choose – a deliberate rule aimed at making the club accessible and less intimidating, said founder Kunatai Khunmuang.

“People don’t have to feel that they have to read classics, non-fiction or whatever book happens to be popular to be considered a ‘real reader’,” said Kunatai, who started the club in May.

“Someone else can interpret a story completely differently from you, notice something you missed or connect it to an experience you’ve never had. Reading is naturally a solitary activity, but a book club gives you somewhere for all those thoughts to go.”