Smoking Apps Could be Breaking Anti-tobacco Advertising Laws

Source from:  NEWS.com.au 10/25/2012

MILLIONS of smartphone users including young people are downloading pro-smoking apps that are potentially breaching laws banning tobacco advertising, researchers says. The apps, some explicitly displaying cigarette brands, are available under categories including entertainment, games, lifestyle and even health and fitness.

University of Sydney researcher Nasser Dhim says those grouped under health and fitness often claim to help users quit smoking. Users simulate smoking by inhaling and exhaling near the phone's microphone. One, Hotsmoke, features a virtual cigarette that burns faster if you inhale faster. Another, MyAshTray, displays messages such as ''would be even better with a beer in your hand'' when virtual cigarette ash is dropped in the tray. Mr Dhim, a PhD candidate and lead author of the study, says there is no evidence smoking simulation helps smokers quit, but there is evidence it reinforces the habit. ''Basically, it is used to enforce that behaviour which is simulated, not to change it,'' he told AAP. ''It's a learning process.'' The study, published in the British Medical Journal today, identified 107 English-language pro-smoking apps, including 65 from the Apple store and 42 from the Android store. By February 2012, about 11 million users worldwide had downloaded the apps from Google Play, which is used for phones on the Android system. Numbers downloaded from the Apple store were not available but were likely to be higher, the researchers said. Mr Dhim said the study identified three or four apps explicitly advertising cigarettes for Philip Morris. However, he said it was impossible to determine who was behind most of the apps. Most app developers publish all their apps under the same name to promote their business. But the pro-smoking publishers used nicknames, not business names, and usually had only one or two apps under that account. ''This is suspicious,'' Mr Dhim said. ''It's intentional ... rather than accidental.'' Mr Dhim said the apps had high-quality graphics. Marketing them in the game and entertainment categories would increase their appeal to children and teenagers, who were more likely to download them than adults. He said the availability of the apps violated Australia's ban on tobacco advertising and the World Health Organisation's framework on tobacco control, which discourages promotion of tobacco products in all media including the internet. Mr Dhim said both Apple and Android had the technological capability to comply with the law, which was demonstrated by their ability to block the sale of specific apps in individual countries. This technology had been used to block adult apps, such as those depicting nudity, in several countries, Mr Dhim said. ''App stores are obligated to operate according to local laws in each country,'' he said. Mr Dhim said the researchers highlighted the trend before app stores, like the internet, became a breeding ground for information claiming to be a health benefit without any evidence. Enditem