Are smartphone apps encouraging young smokers?
<p><span word="Public">Public</span> <span word="health">health</span> <span word="officials">officials</span> <span word="say">say</span> <span word="tobacco">tobacco</span> <span word="companies">companies</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="avoiding">avoiding</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="worldwide">worldwide</span> <span word="ban">ban</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="advertising">advertising</span> <span word="tobacco">tobacco</span> <span word="products">products</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="young">young</span> <span word="people">people</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="using">using</span> <span word="smartphone">smartphone</span> <span word="applications">applications</span>, <span word="or">or</span> “<span word="apps">apps</span>.” <span word="The">The</span> <span word="officials">officials</span> <span word="say">say</span> <span word="some">some</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="apps">apps</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="designed">designed</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="persuade">persuade</span> <span word="young">young</span> <span word="people">people</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="start">start</span> <span word="smoking">smoking</span>.</p><p><span word="Armando">Armando</span> <span word="Peruga">Peruga</span> <span word="works">works</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="World">World</span> <span word="Health">Health</span> <span word="Organization">Organization</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="Tobacco">Tobacco</span>-<span word="Free">Free</span> <span word="Initiative">Initiative</span>. <span word="He">He</span> <span word="recently">recently</span> <span word="discovered">discovered</span> <span word="one">one</span> <span word="such">such</span> <span word="pro">pro</span>-<span word="smoking">smoking</span> <span word="app">app</span> <span word="online">online</span>.</p><p>“<span word="I">I</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="taken">taken</span> <span word="aback">aback</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="game">game</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="called">called</span> ‘<span word="Puff">Puff</span>, <span word="Puff">Puff</span>, <span word="Pass">Pass</span>,’ <span word="which">which</span> <span word="is">is</span> (<span word="an">an</span>) <span word="application">application</span> <span word="that">that</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="cartoon">cartoon</span> <span word="game">game</span> <span word="where">where</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="user">user</span> <span word="must">must</span> <span word="click">click</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="game">game</span> <span word="characters">characters</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="order">order</span> <span word="them">them</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="smoke">smoke</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="pass">pass</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="cigarette">cigarette</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="other">other</span> <span word="characters">characters</span>. <span word="And">And</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="user">user</span> <span word="collects">collects</span> <span word="points">points</span> <span word="if">if</span> <span word="he">he</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="she">she</span> <span word="continues">continues</span> <span word="passing">passing</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="cigarette">cigarette</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="same">same</span> <span word="sequence">sequence</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="fast">fast</span> <span word="pace">pace</span>. <span word="Obviously">Obviously</span>, <span word="that">that</span> <span word="can">can</span> <span word="only">only</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="directed">directed</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="very">very</span> <span word="young">young</span> <span word="kids">kids</span>.”</p><p><span word="Millions">Millions</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="people">people</span> <span word="around">around</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="world">world</span> <span word="now">now</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="smartphones">smartphones</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="many">many</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="them">them</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="children">children</span>.</p><p><span word="Researchers">Researchers</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="Australia">Australia</span> <span word="searched">searched</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Apple">Apple</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="Android">Android</span> <span word="app">app</span> <span word="stores">stores</span> <span word="using">using</span> <span word="words">words</span> <span word="like">like</span> “<span word="smoke">smoke</span>,” “<span word="smoking">smoking</span>,” “<span word="cigar">cigar</span>,” “<span word="cigarette">cigarette</span>,” <span word="and">and</span> “<span word="tobacco">tobacco</span>.” <span word="They">They</span> <span word="found">found</span> <span word="more">more</span> <span word="than">than</span> <span word="one">one</span> <span word="hundred">hundred</span> <span word="apps">apps</span> <span word="linked">linked</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="those">those</span> <span word="words">words</span>. <span word="The">The</span> <span word="apps">apps</span> <span word="included">included</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="only">only</span> <span word="games">games</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="social">social</span> <span word="utilities">utilities</span>, <span word="but">but</span> <span word="advertisements">advertisements</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="tobacco">tobacco</span> <span word="products">products</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="information">information</span> <span word="about">about</span> <span word="where">where</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="products">products</span> <span word="could">could</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="purchased">purchased</span>.</p><p><span word="Forty">Forty</span>-<span word="two">two</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="apps">apps</span> <span word="were">were</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Android">Android</span> <span word="store">store</span>. <span word="Together">Together</span>, <span word="they">they</span> <span word="had">had</span> <span word="been">been</span> <span word="downloaded">downloaded</span> <span word="six">six</span> <span word="million">million</span> <span word="times">times</span>.</p><p><span word="The">The</span> <span word="most">most</span> <span word="popular">popular</span> <span word="Android">Android</span> <span word="apps">apps</span> <span word="were">were</span> <span word="those">those</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="simulate">simulate</span> <span word="smoking">smoking</span>. <span word="The">The</span> <span word="apps">apps</span> <span word="let">let</span> <span word="users">users</span> <span word="smoke">smoke</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="virtual">virtual</span> <span word="cigarette">cigarette</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="produce">produce</span> <span word="visual">visual</span> <span word="effects">effects</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="cigarette">cigarette</span> <span word="being">being</span> <span word="burned">burned</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="smoked">smoked</span>. <span word="Some">Some</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="simulation">simulation</span> <span word="apps">apps</span> <span word="claim">claim</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="aid">aid</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="quiting">quiting</span> <span word="smoking">smoking</span>.</p>
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