Can a joystick game curb teen substance use? new study tests it.
NCT ID NCT05486234
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Aug 14, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This study tests a computerized task where teens push or pull a joystick in response to images, aiming to change automatic habits around cannabis and alcohol. Fifty-two participants aged 13-17 who use both substances will be followed for three months. The goal is to see if this simple intervention can reduce use and shift unconscious biases.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- computerized approach-avoidance task (joystick game)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a simple, engaging tool to help teenagers cut back on cannabis and alcohol use.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small early study with only 52 participants, so results may not apply widely. The intervention is brief and may not produce lasting change.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 52 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jan 2023
- Expected to finish
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Oct 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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13 to 17 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * between the ages of 13 and 17 * be seeking treatment for either cannabis or alcohol use; * report co-occurring alcohol and cannabis use during the past three months (i.e., participants who report using both alcohol and cannabis during the three months prior to participation in the study, regardless of if the use was simultaneous) * have a caregiver willing to participate and provide consent.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Medical University of South Carolina
RECRUITINGCharleston, South Carolina, 29425, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can a website help people cut back on cannabis?
- Brain scans probe why cannabis hits men and women differently