Warning over free pro–smoking apps

Published on 23/10/2012 00:31

Pro-smoking apps that are free to download could increase teenagers’ risk of starting smoking, researchers have warned.

App store bosses need to explore ways to regulate content, they said, after finding that tobacco products are being promoted through smartphones.

Researchers from the University of Sydney in Australia examined apps available through the Apple App Store and the Android Market, identifying 107 “pro-smoking” apps.

During a search of the stores, the researchers found 42 apps in the Android Market and 65 in the Apple App Store that they said included information about brands of tobacco or where to buy tobacco products, or contained images of tobacco brands or cigarettes, or apps that might encourage smoking behaviour.