Blocking online alcohol exposure with a internet browser plugin
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN86088821 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN86088821 |
| Sponsor | University Hospital of Lausanne |
| Funder | Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung |
- Submission date
- 06/02/2026
- Registration date
- 10/02/2026
- Last edited
- 09/02/2026
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Overall study status
- Ongoing
- Condition category
- Mental and Behavioural Disorders
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
Alcohol imagery is pervasive online. Exposure to alcohol imagery triggers alcohol use and harmful consequences. Through recent advancements in the computational abilities of devices and advances in machine learning, it is now possible to develop a plugin which can detect and block alcohol in images. People with an alcohol use disorder are constantly and sub-consciously seduced to drink through exposure to online alcohol imagery and alcohol ads, which contributes to relapse and treatment failure. Allowing people with an alcohol use disorder to control their online exposure to alcohol imagery could enhance treatment success.
This study aims to test a browser plugin prototype that will block alcohol-related images in a sample of participants treated for alcohol use disorder (AUD). The plugin works similarly to the parental control plugins for sex and violence imagery. Specifically, the study aims to 1) test the feasibility and acceptability of the plugin, and 2) assess the impact of the plugin on perception of alcohol imagery exposure, alcohol craving, and alcohol use.
The project will provide crucial information from end users for the adaptation of a worldwide unique browser plugin to prevent alcohol exposure online. Assessing the acceptability and feasibility of the plugin will lay the foundation for a future large randomized trial.
Who can participate?
Adult patients with AUD.
What does the study involve?
The study will be a pilot study with follow-up at 1 and 3 months with an online questionnaire. Participants will be randomly assigned (1:1) to receive access to a browser plugin blocking alcohol imagery or to a control group (access to the plugin provided 3 months later). Study measures will include: hours of online presence, perception of online exposure to alcohol imagery, alcohol use, and alcohol craving. In the intervention group, acceptability of the plugin will be assessed. Participants will also be asked whether they would be willing to use it in the future. Feasibility will be measured by whether the participants kept the plugin active during the intervention period. As this study will be a pilot trial, focus will be on descriptive statistics and effect size estimations using confidence intervals, rather than statistical hypothesis testing. Descriptive analyses will be conducted on measures of acceptability and feasibility and the confidence intervals will be computed to describe the range of effects on perception of exposure to online alcohol imagery, craving, and alcohol use.
A subset of participants randomized into the browser plugin condition will be invited to a one-to-one audio-recorded semi-structured interview about their experiences with the plugin at the end of the follow-up period. Audio content will be transcribed verbatim, coded and analyzed using inductive research methods.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
Benefits and risks not provided at time of registration
Where is the study run from?
Lausanne University Hospital, Switzerland.
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
April 2026 to February 2027.
Who is funding the study?
Swiss National Science Foundation, Switzerland.
Who is the main contact?
Prof Nicolas Bertholet, nicolas.bertholet@chuv.ch
Contact information
Principal investigator, Public, Scientific
Lausanne University Hospital
Addiction medicine
Rue du Bugnon 23 A
Lausanne
1011
Switzerland
 ORCID ID |
0000-0001-5064-6377 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +41213148400 |
| Nicolas.Bertholet@chuv.ch |
Study information
| Primary study design | Interventional | |
|---|---|---|
| Allocation | Randomized controlled trial | |
| Masking | Open (masking not used) | |
| Control | Placebo | |
| Assignment | Sequential | |
| Purpose | Prevention | |
| Scientific title | Blocking online alcohol exposure with a browser plugin: a proof-of-concept mixed methods, pilot randomized controlled trial | |
| Study acronym | PLUGIN study | |
| Study objectives | To test a browser plugin prototype that will block alcohol-related images in a sample of participants treated for alcohol use disorder (AUD). | |
| Ethics approval(s) |
Approved 27/01/2026, Commission cantonale d'éthique de la recherche sur l'être humain (CER-VD) (Av. de Chailly 23, Lausanne, 1012, Switzerland; +41213161830; scientifique.cer@vd.ch), ref: 2025-02636 | |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Alcohol use disorder (AUD) | |
| Intervention | The study intervention will be to receive access to a browser plugin blocking alcohol imagery online. The browser plugin prototype is a Chrome extension implemented using a deep learning software framework designed to train deep learning models for the browser environment. The plugin will work by intercepting and scanning every image on a webpage. It will blur the image if it is identified as depicting alcohol. In this pilot phase, it has been chosen to focus on one internet browser. Chrome has been chosen to develop the first prototype as it is the browser with the largest market share in Switzerland (48%). Intervention: participants in the intervention group will receive access to a plugin blocking (i.e. blurring) alcohol imagery online. The plugin has an “enabled” and a “disabled” button, and thus can be activated or deactivated as the users want. In the intervention group, participants will be provided with the plugin and will be able to use it as much or as little as they want. The study is a pilot trial in which assessing the acceptability and feasibility of this approach is key. Control: participants in the control group will not be given access to the plugin (no intervention control condition). They will be able to install it at the end of the study. | |
| Intervention type | Other | |
| Primary outcome measure(s) |
| |
| Key secondary outcome measure(s) |
| |
| Completion date | 28/02/2027 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | |
|---|---|
| Age group | Mixed |
| Lower age limit | 18 Years |
| Upper age limit | 100 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Target sample size at registration | 70 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. Age 18 or over 2. Current diagnostic of AUD 3. No alcohol use in the past 5 days 4. Using a personal computer to access the internet 5. Willingness to complete the follow-up assessments 6. Willingness to install the plugin and to share its usage data 7. Willingness to use Chrome as their main browser (as the prototype has been developed as a Chrome extension) 8. Able to understand and to sign a written informed consent (written in French) prior to the study |
| Key exclusion criteria | People admitted under court order or mandated treatment |
| Date of first enrolment | 01/04/2026 |
| Date of final enrolment | 01/11/2026 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- Switzerland
Study participating centres
Results and Publications
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | No |
|---|---|
| IPD sharing plan summary | Not expected to be made available |
| IPD sharing plan |
Editorial Notes
09/02/2026: Study’s existence confirmed by the Swiss National Fund, Switzerland.
