Health and Play

Research

Our research brings together work on health technologies, digital play, and the experiences of people who use them. The three areas below reflect related lines of inquiry across the lab.

Health technologies, privacy, and wellbeing

Human-centered health AI · Sensitive health data · Care technologies

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

Digital games · Social play · Moderation and norms

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

Child-centered safety · Gambling-like mechanics · Platform accountability

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.