{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,28]],"date-time":"2026-08-28T11:13:12Z","timestamp":1787915592276,"version":"build-2784847793"},"reference-count":34,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,10,1]],"date-time":"2020-10-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1601510400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/journals\/pages\/open_access\/funder_policies\/chorus\/standard_publication_model"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000002","name":"National Institutes of Health","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000002","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"NIH Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development","award":["NIDA K23DA042140-01A1"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["NIDA K23DA042140-01A1"]}]},{"name":"NIDA Education Projects","award":["R25DA022461-11"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["R25DA022461-11"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2020,10,12]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n               <jats:p>Few studies have conducted analysis of commercially available smartphone applications designed to promote alcohol and illicit substance use. The aim of this review is to determine harmful themes of content in applications promoting alcohol and illicit substance use found using recovery app search terms. A systematic search, via Apple iTunes and Google Play stores, was conducted of applications targeting abstinence or reduced substance use in online app stores (n = 1,074 apps) in March 2018. We conducted a secondary analysis of apps encouraging alcohol and illicit substance use in July 2018. Our initial search yielded 904 apps pertaining to alcohol and illicit substance use. Four reviewers conducted a content analysis of 102 apps meeting inclusion criteria and assessed app design, delivery features, text, and multimedia content pertaining to substance use. The initial coding scheme was refined using a data-driven, iterative method grouping in thematic categories. The number of apps coded to a specific substance include: alcohol (n = 74), methamphetamine (n =13), cocaine (n = 15), heroin (n = 12), and marijuana (n = 15), with nine apps overlapping more than one substance. Key themes identified among apps included: (i) tangibility (alcohol home delivery services); (ii) social networks (builtin social media platforms promoting substance use); (iii) software design (gamification or simulation of substance use); and (iv) aesthetics (sexual or violent imagery). Despite claims of restricting apps promoting substance use, further efforts are needed by online app stores to reduce the availability of harmful content.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1093\/tbm\/ibz135","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,10,12]],"date-time":"2020-10-12T18:34:56Z","timestamp":1602527696000},"page":"1233-1242","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":21,"title":["Harmful smartphone applications promoting alcohol and illicit substance use: a review and content analysis in the United States"],"prefix":"10.1093","volume":"10","author":[{"given":"Shouron","family":"Ghassemlou","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Medical College of Georgia, AU\/UGA Medical Partnership, Athens, GA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5514-0858","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Christina","family":"Marini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chemi","family":"Chemi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yerina S","family":"Ranjit","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine, AIDS Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Babak","family":"Tofighi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY"},{"name":"Division of General Internal Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"286","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,10,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"2021022218384622300_CIT0001","article-title":"Vision for the future: A public health approach.","volume-title":"Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General\u2019s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health","author":"Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US); Office of the Surgeon General (US)","year":"2016"},{"issue":"1","key":"2021022218384622300_CIT0002","first-page":"91","article-title":"Influence of social media on alcohol use in adolescents and young adults","volume":"36","author":"Moreno","year":"2014","journal-title":"Alcohol Res."},{"key":"2021022218384622300_CIT0003"},{"issue":"9682","key":"2021022218384622300_CIT0004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2234","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(09)60744-3","article-title":"Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of policies and programmes to reduce the harm caused by alcohol","volume":"373","author":"Anderson","year":"2009","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"issue":"3","key":"2021022218384622300_CIT0005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"545","DOI":"10.1086\/466999","article-title":"The effects of government regulation on teenage smoking","volume":"24","author":"Lewit","year":"1981","journal-title":"The Journal of Law and Economic"},{"key":"2021022218384622300_CIT0006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"21","DOI":"10.1111\/add.13493","article-title":"The commercial use of digital media to market alcohol products: a narrative review","volume":"112","author":"Lobstein","year":"2017","journal-title":"Addiction"},{"key":"2021022218384622300_CIT0007","volume-title":"The Health Consequences of Smoking: 50 Years of Progress. 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