Paper accepted to ACM CCS 2026
Our study of how children assess digital safety risks on Roblox was accepted to the ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security (CCS 2026), held November 15–19 in The Hague.
The Health and Play Lab · Penn State IST
Health and play are fundamental human values.
At the Health and Play Lab, we study how digital technologies support—and sometimes undermine—health, wellbeing, and play. Our research examines how people experience health technologies, AI systems, games, and online communities, and how their design and governance shape privacy, safety, accountability, and participation.
Health technologies, privacy, and wellbeing
We study how people use and navigate health technologies, from conversational AI and symptom checkers to reproductive health apps and connected devices. Our research examines how these technologies shape healthcare decisions, care practices, and privacy, and how their design and governance can better support transparency, safety, and accountability.
Play, communities, and governance
Games and online communities are spaces where people play, compete, collaborate, create, and form relationships. We study how people participate in these spaces, and how game design, social norms, moderation, and platform governance shape enjoyment, fairness, participation, and safety.
Youth digital environments and wellbeing
We study how digital platforms affect young people’s wellbeing, particularly through gambling and gambling-like experiences, harmful monetization, and risky social interactions. Drawing on young people’s experiences, our research informs the design and governance of safer digital environments.
Current projects
Health AI / Privacy
Health AI and sensitive data
Studies of how people understand advice from consumer health AI, how their sensitive health data is handled, and the limits of available protections.
2024–present · NSFLearning community norms
An NSF-funded project investigates how online communities can support people in learning norms and participating constructively.
2023–present · NSFHarmful design in virtual worlds
An NSF-funded collaboration studies harmful design practices in user-generated virtual worlds and approaches to design moderation.
Youth / WellbeingChildren’s gambling-like experiences
A Penn State research project, supported by a 2026–27 College of IST seed grant, examines children’s exposure to online gambling and related risks, with a focus on harm reduction.
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How Children Assess Digital Safety Risk in Gaming Platforms: A Case Study of Roblox
Zinan Zhang, Qiurong Song, Xinning Gui, Junnan Yu, Sunhye Bai, and Yubo Kou
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From Stream to Stake: Gamblification Practices and User Perceptions on Twitch
Yunhan Liu, Sam Moradzadeh, Qiurong Song, Yubo Kou, and Xinning Gui
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Gaming Together on Discord: Teen Gamer's Cross-Platform Practices
Elena Koung, Xinning Gui, and Yubo Kou
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Making the Gig Economy Infrastructure Work: Gig Drivers’ Adaptive, Algorithmic, and Social Knowledge Practices
Rie Helene (Lindy) Hernandez, Qiurong Song, Yubo Kou, and Xinning Gui
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Player Safety by Design: Co-Designing Child-Centered Safety Mechanisms with Children
Zinan Zhang, Qiurong Song, Rie Helene (Lindy) Hernandez, Yunhan Liu, Elena Koung, Junnan Yu, Sunhye Bai, Yubo Kou, and Xinning Gui
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Xinning Gui Co-director -
Yubo Kou Co-director -
Rie Helene (Lindy) Hernandez Ph.D. candidate -
Qiurong Song Ph.D. candidate -
Zinan (Zina) Zhang Ph.D. candidate -
Yunhan Liu Ph.D. candidate -
Elena Koung Ph.D. student -
Kexin Chen Ph.D. student
Two papers accepted to CHI PLAY 2026
Two papers were accepted to CHI PLAY 2026.
Seed grant for research on children’s online gambling
A 2026–27 Penn State College of IST seed grant supports our project on risk exposure and harm reduction in children’s online gambling, led by Xinning Gui and Yubo Kou.
New player guide
Join the lab
How prospective Ph.D., master’s, and undergraduate students can get involved.