User-centered Design of an Adjunct Smartphone App to Reduce Cannabis Use among Youth Diverted from the Juvenile Legal System

Cannabis use is common among US youth who become involved in the juvenile legal system (JLS), yet substance use treatment rates remain low, particularly among youth diverted away from formal JLS involvement. Diverted youth encounter multiple barriers to receiving services in the community that could be addressed via digital approaches offered by the JLS. This multiphase work details development of the TECH (Teen Empowerment through Computerized Health) app, a tailored digital adjunct to usual JLS services. First, qualitative interviews with diverted youth (n = 14) aged 14-18 years and their caregivers (n = 8) established youths' cannabis-related treatment needs and preferences; youth were asked to specifically consider several theory-driven app components (personalization, behavior change, social interaction, gamification, and motivation enhancement). After building the TECH app, 10 diverted youth beta-tested the prototype over one month, to inform its preliminary feasibility (i.e., participation and app metadata) and acceptability (i.e., app quality and user satisfaction). Qualitative results indicated diverted youth and caregivers were open to an app to reduce cannabis use. Interviewed youth were divided about theoretically driven features, likely due to their unique preferences and needs. Prototype beta testing demonstrated diverted youth were willing to engage; metadata indicated all beta-testers used TECH independently after their baseline appointment, demonstrating feasibility. Participants rated satisfaction as slightly above average, reporting the app was of good quality and recommending ways to increase acceptability. We discuss implications of these preliminary findings on the app itself and the broader field of digital health for youth diverted from the JLS.