Smartphones are increasingly becoming a platform for behavioral health interventions, particularly among young adults who are accustomed to continuous digital interaction. New research suggests that mobile and web-based interventions can play a meaningful role in reducing harmful alcohol and cannabis use in this group.
Problematic substance use among young adults remains a major public health concern, contributing to traffic fatalities, violence and accidental injuries. At the same time, smartphones enable the real-time collection of behavioral data in everyday settings. These so-called ecological momentary assessments (EMA) provide detailed insight into mood, context and behavior, creating new opportunities for personalized digital interventions. The research was published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.
Three studies
According to Anne M. Fairlie, associate professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine, EMA data can be used in multiple, innovative ways. Fairlie co-authored two of the three studies and an accompanying editorial. “These studies show how similar data streams can be translated into different intervention models, each tailored to specific needs and risk profiles,” she explains.
One study, led by Traci M. Kennedy from the University of Pittsburgh, focused on young adults with ADHD who are at elevated risk of heavy drinking. Participants received frequent smartphone check-ins to monitor ADHD symptoms and alcohol use, followed by personalized feedback aimed at increasing awareness and reducing consumption.
A second study, conducted by Melissa A. Lewis of the University of Texas at Arlington, evaluated a web-based intervention combined with automated text messages over eight weeks. By analyzing participants’ motivations and barriers, researchers tailored messages promoting protective behavioral strategies to limit alcohol and cannabis-related harm.
In the third study, Fairlie and colleagues used EMA to track alcohol cravings and situational triggers multiple times per day over a 17-day period. The collected data informed a one-time personalized feedback intervention, helping participants better recognize patterns and triggers associated with their drinking.
Personlization
Across all studies, personalization emerged as a key success factor. While the technical approaches differed, each intervention leveraged real-time data to adapt content to individual behavior and context. The findings underscore EMA’s flexibility as a methodological tool and its relevance for scalable, data-driven digital health solutions.
As this field evolves, researchers expect increasingly sophisticated and tailored mobile interventions that support healthier choices among diverse at-risk populations, illustrating how digital health can bridge behavioral science and everyday clinical prevention.
Smartphones in healthcare
Smartphones equipped with passive sensors can offer valuable insights into users’ mental well-being, according to a large-scale study. Researchers from the University of Michigan and partner institutions analysed data from 557 adults over 15 days, using sensors such as GPS, accelerometers and pedometers. These devices passively tracked movement, phone use, sleep patterns and charging behaviour, revealing subtle behavioural signals linked to mental health. Reduced mobility or phone use, for example, was associated with social withdrawal.
Lead researcher Aidan Wright found that individuals with higher general psychological vulnerability showed consistent behavioural changes, such as staying home more and waking later. By focusing on behavioural patterns rather than rigid diagnostic categories, the study supports a more nuanced approach to digital psychiatry. Passive data collection enables continuous, low-barrier monitoring, with potential for earlier intervention and more personalised mental health care.
