Addiction in a digital world – FuturiZe thought leader round table

In 2019 the number of mobile phone users is forecast to reach 4.68 billion and it is estimated that around half of them will download at least one mobile health (m-Health) tool. m-Health interventions are seen as a promising approach in prevention and treatment, with a potential to simultaneously focus on the population as a whole, high-risk groups, and individuals. However, in order to fully realize the potential of d-Health, in addition to providing affordable and universal access to digital resources and design evidence-based tools, we need to find ways to also increase the interest and motivation of intended users in their uptake, and to ensure a sustained and consistent adherence in rapidly changing social and technological contexts.

This plenary roundtable session will have a look at why d-Health is not having the level of real-world impact that we are expecting, and explore, among others, the potential of applying serious games to incentivise uptake and adherence; digital phenotyping, based on user mobile usage, as an objective and ecological source of monitoring and measurement for diagnosis and treatment; and social robots programmed by artificial intelligence for behavioural change. We will focus on those aspects that are relevant and specific to addictive substance use and behaviours.