Ice Effex co-creator Trinity Lonel said the app had generally received positive feedback since it became available about a month ago.

Ice Effex encouraged people to upload their selfies and then watch the images become ravaged with the side effects of ice use on a timeline of three, six and 12 months.

Ms Lonel said some people had described the app as a shock tactic and pointed out such approaches did not work.

"I think it's different to a shock tactic because I think it's really easy to disassociate when you see someone else," she said.

Galen Catholic College year 9 co-ordinator Kelly Smith agreed the app’s personal touch worked well for teenagers.

"It needs to be aimed at 15, 16 year-olds because they are so obsessed with what they look like,” Miss Smith said.

“And I guarantee every girl, every boy in my class did not want to look like that."

Speaking to a group of year 9 students in Wangaratta, Ms Lonel did not downplay the effect of ice on users.

“By the time they get to their early 20s, if they started when they're around your age, usually their lives are completely crap," she said.

The homelessness support worker said she had clients who came from good families, had been to university and once had great jobs.

"Their lives really spiral out of control," she said.

Ms Lonel said Ice Effex tried to interest young people without being frivolous about a serious issue.

"It was a fine line, I guess, we had to make it that it was fun and engaging but that it wasn't funny,” she said.

“It needed to capture their attention."

Miss Smith said students in her year 9 health class had a play around with the app and liked it.

"Without making a joke out of it, we thought it was kind of fun," she said.

Joseph McMillan, 15, said the Ice Effex app worked better as a drug warning than a lecture from adults.

"Because you see it from your own point of view and, like, what you'd look like if you did it," he said.

For Sara Corker, 15, the app showed why to avoid ice.

"Even just in general you can tell your friends what you can look like on ice and they might be scared to ever try it," she said.

Ms Lonel hoped Ice Effex would work as a prevention measure for teenagers.

“When they're at a party and maybe somebody says, 'Hey, do you want to try this?', hopefully that image might be enough for them to go, 'Er, no, I don't think so'," she said. 

"I don't want to say that it is a scare tactic though.

“I think it's showing the reality.

“If it gets people talking too, that's the most important thing."