On the first anniversary of its launch, Action on Smoking and Health Wales’ Youth Project The Filter has launched its first mobile application, Distractor. The app can be downloaded for free, and provides a creative distraction to help young people manage their tobacco cravings, alongside in-app access to The Filter’s information website and support service.
Young people are invited to beat their cravings with the app’s primary function – the distractor. Users are given a ‘theme’ or prompt to create an image and a three-minute countdown timer. The aim is to provide young people with a distraction long enough for their tobacco craving to pass.
The app will be launched on Friday 10th January, the anniversary of the launch of Filter project itself, which aims to reduce the number of children who start smoking each year in Wales. The Filter is funded by the Big Lottery Fund to provide support and quit smoking advice to young people aged 11-25, and is the only service of its kind in Wales.
In its first year, the project team has worked with youth groups, pupil referral units, schools, colleges and universities across Wales to raise awareness about the dangers of smoking. The Filter has also brought the Cut Films Awards to Wales and hosted Filter the Future, Wales’ first ever youth summit on tobacco and smoking health.
