Christopher Pepper (He/Him)
@mrpepper.bsky.social
Award-winning educator and writer, with bylines in the NY Times, SF Chronicle, and Edutopia. Co-author of the national bestseller "TALK TO YOUR BOYS” (2025 - Workman Publishing).
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OUR BOOK HAS A COVER! Check it out!
SO THRILLED to tell you about this new book, which is now available to preorder
open.substack.com
@jfschroeder.bsky.social and I are thrilled to introduce our new book, TALK TO YOUR BOYS. Read all about it, and find out why we really really want you to preorder it today: open.substack.com/pub/teenheal...
Reposted by Christopher Pepper (He/Him)
There's a prison revolt at a concentration camp in Texas in solidarity with Minneapolis:
January 24, 2026 at 11:04 PM
There's a prison revolt at a concentration camp in Texas in solidarity with Minneapolis:
Reposted by Christopher Pepper (He/Him)
He was doing what many have been saying white men should be doing. He went outside to observe, he documented, he put his body on the line to protect another person and for this he was murdered by the gatekeepers of the fascist regime.
January 24, 2026 at 8:21 PM
He was doing what many have been saying white men should be doing. He went outside to observe, he documented, he put his body on the line to protect another person and for this he was murdered by the gatekeepers of the fascist regime.
Reposted by Christopher Pepper (He/Him)
Alex Pretti, the man killed by federal agents today in Minneapolis, appears to have been a registered nurse, an athlete, a son and a brother, with ties to Colorado and Wisconsin.
Here is a photo he used for several accounts.
Here is a photo he used for several accounts.
January 24, 2026 at 7:07 PM
Alex Pretti, the man killed by federal agents today in Minneapolis, appears to have been a registered nurse, an athlete, a son and a brother, with ties to Colorado and Wisconsin.
Here is a photo he used for several accounts.
Here is a photo he used for several accounts.
Genetic Data From Over 20,000 U.S. Children Misused for ‘Race Science’
The National Institutes of Health failed to protect brain scans that an international group of fringe researchers used to argue for the intellectual superiority of white people. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/u...
The National Institutes of Health failed to protect brain scans that an international group of fringe researchers used to argue for the intellectual superiority of white people. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/u...
Genetic Data From Over 20,000 U.S. Children Misused for ‘Race Science’
www.nytimes.com
January 24, 2026 at 2:02 PM
Genetic Data From Over 20,000 U.S. Children Misused for ‘Race Science’
The National Institutes of Health failed to protect brain scans that an international group of fringe researchers used to argue for the intellectual superiority of white people. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/u...
The National Institutes of Health failed to protect brain scans that an international group of fringe researchers used to argue for the intellectual superiority of white people. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/u...
My Students Survived the Pandemic. Now They’re Hiding From the U.S. Government.
My 11 years of teaching have taught me that behind every student’s behavior, good or bad, is a desire to feel like they belong. President Donald Trump is making that very hard.
slate.com/life/2026/01...
My 11 years of teaching have taught me that behind every student’s behavior, good or bad, is a desire to feel like they belong. President Donald Trump is making that very hard.
slate.com/life/2026/01...
I Saw What COVID Did to Students. What ICE Is Doing Will Change Them Forever.
My years of teaching have taught me that behind every student’s behavior is a desire to feel like they belong. Trump is making that very hard.
slate.com
January 23, 2026 at 8:33 PM
My Students Survived the Pandemic. Now They’re Hiding From the U.S. Government.
My 11 years of teaching have taught me that behind every student’s behavior, good or bad, is a desire to feel like they belong. President Donald Trump is making that very hard.
slate.com/life/2026/01...
My 11 years of teaching have taught me that behind every student’s behavior, good or bad, is a desire to feel like they belong. President Donald Trump is making that very hard.
slate.com/life/2026/01...
Colon cancer is killing more young people in the U.S. than any other cancer
Fewer people under age 50 are dying from cancer in the U.S., but colorectal cancer mortality rates continue to surge
www.scientificamerican.com/article/colo...
Fewer people under age 50 are dying from cancer in the U.S., but colorectal cancer mortality rates continue to surge
www.scientificamerican.com/article/colo...
Colon cancer is killing more young people in the U.S. than any other cancer
Fewer people under age 50 are dying from cancer in the U.S., but colorectal cancer mortality rates continue to surge
www.scientificamerican.com
January 23, 2026 at 4:20 AM
Colon cancer is killing more young people in the U.S. than any other cancer
Fewer people under age 50 are dying from cancer in the U.S., but colorectal cancer mortality rates continue to surge
www.scientificamerican.com/article/colo...
Fewer people under age 50 are dying from cancer in the U.S., but colorectal cancer mortality rates continue to surge
www.scientificamerican.com/article/colo...
LOOKSMAXXING’ REVEALS THE DEPTH OF THE CRISIS FACING YOUNG MEN
The most narcissistic corner of the internet is having a moment
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
The most narcissistic corner of the internet is having a moment
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
‘Looksmaxxing’ Reveals the Depth of the Crisis Facing Young Men
The most narcissistic corner of the internet is having a moment.
www.theatlantic.com
January 23, 2026 at 4:11 AM
LOOKSMAXXING’ REVEALS THE DEPTH OF THE CRISIS FACING YOUNG MEN
The most narcissistic corner of the internet is having a moment
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
The most narcissistic corner of the internet is having a moment
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
Reposted by Christopher Pepper (He/Him)
Reposted by Christopher Pepper (He/Him)
The US has officially left the World Health Organization.
The damage that has been done in the past year to our health institutions will take years to rebuild, if we get the opportunity to do so.
www.reuters.com/business/hea...
The damage that has been done in the past year to our health institutions will take years to rebuild, if we get the opportunity to do so.
www.reuters.com/business/hea...
US withdraws from the World Health Organization
The United States officially left the World Health Organization on Thursday after a year of warnings that doing so would hurt public health in the U.S. and globally, saying its decision reflected fail...
www.reuters.com
January 23, 2026 at 12:04 AM
The US has officially left the World Health Organization.
The damage that has been done in the past year to our health institutions will take years to rebuild, if we get the opportunity to do so.
www.reuters.com/business/hea...
The damage that has been done in the past year to our health institutions will take years to rebuild, if we get the opportunity to do so.
www.reuters.com/business/hea...
Reposted by Christopher Pepper (He/Him)
In his latest free substack post, @mrpepper.bsky.social has a good list of questions to discuss about immigration and policy with your teens, and excerpts a good essay about Ellis Island. Please reply with any other good resources you’ve found for discussing these issues with your kids.
Let's Talk About Immigration
Does America still welcome the "huddled masses yearning to breathe free"?
www.teenhealthtoday.com
January 23, 2026 at 12:56 AM
In his latest free substack post, @mrpepper.bsky.social has a good list of questions to discuss about immigration and policy with your teens, and excerpts a good essay about Ellis Island. Please reply with any other good resources you’ve found for discussing these issues with your kids.
Reposted by Christopher Pepper (He/Him)
Tomorrow’s front page of the Minnesota Star Tribune: Jan. 23, 2026
January 22, 2026 at 11:19 PM
Tomorrow’s front page of the Minnesota Star Tribune: Jan. 23, 2026
Every teen needs a caring adult who shows up for them
At a time when youth mental health is rightly in the spotlight, let’s remember that real change often begins one relationship at a time.
www.cincinnati.com/story/opinio...
At a time when youth mental health is rightly in the spotlight, let’s remember that real change often begins one relationship at a time.
www.cincinnati.com/story/opinio...
Every teen needs a caring adult who shows up for them | Opinion
Opinion: January is National Mentoring Month, a time to recognize the impact supportive adults can have on young people’s lives.
www.cincinnati.com
January 22, 2026 at 6:58 PM
Every teen needs a caring adult who shows up for them
At a time when youth mental health is rightly in the spotlight, let’s remember that real change often begins one relationship at a time.
www.cincinnati.com/story/opinio...
At a time when youth mental health is rightly in the spotlight, let’s remember that real change often begins one relationship at a time.
www.cincinnati.com/story/opinio...
Reposted by Christopher Pepper (He/Him)
An ambitious experiment to give young people money and trust them to spend it well shows promising early signs, participants say.
www.thecity.nyc/2026/01/20/c...
www.thecity.nyc/2026/01/20/c...
NYC Is Testing Guaranteed Income for Homeless Youths. Here’s How It’s Going.
An ambitious experiment to give young people money and trust them to spend it well shows promising early signs, participants say.
www.thecity.nyc
January 21, 2026 at 2:56 PM
An ambitious experiment to give young people money and trust them to spend it well shows promising early signs, participants say.
www.thecity.nyc/2026/01/20/c...
www.thecity.nyc/2026/01/20/c...
Trauma or Toxic? A Deep Dive into the Impact of Stress on Kids’ Health
UCSF review is the largest to distill how stress affects all areas of a child’s health, starting in the womb through adolescence.
www.ucsf.edu/news/2026/01...
UCSF review is the largest to distill how stress affects all areas of a child’s health, starting in the womb through adolescence.
www.ucsf.edu/news/2026/01...
Trauma or Toxic? A Deep Dive into the Impact of Stress on Kids’ Health
UCSF researchers found evidence that stress occurring as early as before birth or as late as adolescence can affect multiple conditions in kids, from asthma to mental health to cognitive functioning.
www.ucsf.edu
January 20, 2026 at 11:40 PM
Trauma or Toxic? A Deep Dive into the Impact of Stress on Kids’ Health
UCSF review is the largest to distill how stress affects all areas of a child’s health, starting in the womb through adolescence.
www.ucsf.edu/news/2026/01...
UCSF review is the largest to distill how stress affects all areas of a child’s health, starting in the womb through adolescence.
www.ucsf.edu/news/2026/01...
Gen Zers aren’t talking — and it could cost them
The problem runs deeper than social awkwardness.
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
The problem runs deeper than social awkwardness.
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
Opinion | Gen Zers aren’t talking — and it could cost them
The problem runs deeper than social awkwardness.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 20, 2026 at 11:35 PM
Gen Zers aren’t talking — and it could cost them
The problem runs deeper than social awkwardness.
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
The problem runs deeper than social awkwardness.
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
New report says screen time limits for children are no longer enough
The guidance was released by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
abcnews.go.com/US/new-repor...
The guidance was released by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
abcnews.go.com/US/new-repor...
New report says screen time limits for children are no longer enough
Children are growing up in an increasingly digital world that affects sleep, learning and mental health, making screen-time limits alone no longer enough
abcnews.go.com
January 20, 2026 at 11:28 PM
New report says screen time limits for children are no longer enough
The guidance was released by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
abcnews.go.com/US/new-repor...
The guidance was released by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
abcnews.go.com/US/new-repor...
White Students Hurt by L.A. Desegregation Policy, Lawsuit Says
Schools with more white children miss out on smaller class sizes and other benefits, the lawsuit says. The policy dates back to desegregation efforts in the 1970s. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/20/u...
Schools with more white children miss out on smaller class sizes and other benefits, the lawsuit says. The policy dates back to desegregation efforts in the 1970s. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/20/u...
White Students Hurt by L.A. Desegregation Policy, Lawsuit Says
www.nytimes.com
January 20, 2026 at 10:10 PM
White Students Hurt by L.A. Desegregation Policy, Lawsuit Says
Schools with more white children miss out on smaller class sizes and other benefits, the lawsuit says. The policy dates back to desegregation efforts in the 1970s. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/20/u...
Schools with more white children miss out on smaller class sizes and other benefits, the lawsuit says. The policy dates back to desegregation efforts in the 1970s. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/20/u...
We Found More Than 40 Cases of Immigration Agents Using Banned Chokeholds and Other Moves That Can Cut Off Breathing www.propublica.org/article/vide...
January 19, 2026 at 5:43 AM
We Found More Than 40 Cases of Immigration Agents Using Banned Chokeholds and Other Moves That Can Cut Off Breathing www.propublica.org/article/vide...
Reposted by Christopher Pepper (He/Him)
I wrote about my experiences being sexually exploited as a child, and what we need to do to make sure AI doesn’t make that a reality for millions of children.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
My picture was used in child abuse images. AI is putting others through my nightmare | Mara Wilson
I was a child actor, exploited by strangers on the internet. Now millions of children face the same danger
www.theguardian.com
January 18, 2026 at 2:20 AM
I wrote about my experiences being sexually exploited as a child, and what we need to do to make sure AI doesn’t make that a reality for millions of children.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Christopher Pepper (He/Him)
"Vast majority of men are only willing to engage in public violence if they feel like the people around them will approve of — and reward them for — that violence. ICE Watch works because it surrounds men seeking approval with people loudly expressing their disapproval."
www.ms.now/opinion/minn...
www.ms.now/opinion/minn...
January 17, 2026 at 4:51 AM
"Vast majority of men are only willing to engage in public violence if they feel like the people around them will approve of — and reward them for — that violence. ICE Watch works because it surrounds men seeking approval with people loudly expressing their disapproval."
www.ms.now/opinion/minn...
www.ms.now/opinion/minn...
Reposted by Christopher Pepper (He/Him)
Immigration officers around Minneapolis are approaching people and demanding proof that they’re U.S. citizens www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
January 16, 2026 at 7:37 PM
Immigration officers around Minneapolis are approaching people and demanding proof that they’re U.S. citizens www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
Reposted by Christopher Pepper (He/Him)
"A Minneapolis couple said that ICE agents deployed tear gas... around them and their six children — the youngest only 6 months old — as they tried to maneuver their car out of a tense protest on Wednesday night."
They were driving home from a son’s basketball game.
www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01...
They were driving home from a son’s basketball game.
www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01...
January 16, 2026 at 5:42 PM
"A Minneapolis couple said that ICE agents deployed tear gas... around them and their six children — the youngest only 6 months old — as they tried to maneuver their car out of a tense protest on Wednesday night."
They were driving home from a son’s basketball game.
www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01...
They were driving home from a son’s basketball game.
www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01...
Science shows very different psychiatric disorders might have the same cause
A sweeping new study of psychiatric and genetic records has the potential to change treatment for millions of psychiatric patients.
wapo.st/3LlURDk
A sweeping new study of psychiatric and genetic records has the potential to change treatment for millions of psychiatric patients.
wapo.st/3LlURDk
Science shows very different psychiatric disorders might have the same cause
A sweeping new study of psychiatric and genetic records has the potential to change treatment for millions of psychiatric patients.
wapo.st
January 16, 2026 at 5:54 PM
Science shows very different psychiatric disorders might have the same cause
A sweeping new study of psychiatric and genetic records has the potential to change treatment for millions of psychiatric patients.
wapo.st/3LlURDk
A sweeping new study of psychiatric and genetic records has the potential to change treatment for millions of psychiatric patients.
wapo.st/3LlURDk
Stay-at-home sons are here — and they’re not going anywhere
Why some young men are finding happiness in their parents’ homes
wapo.st/4qWmxNV
Why some young men are finding happiness in their parents’ homes
wapo.st/4qWmxNV
Stay-at-home sons are here — and they’re not going anywhere
The rise of stay-at-home sons has sparked a national conversation about the changing values and expectations of young men in America.
wapo.st
January 16, 2026 at 5:51 PM
Stay-at-home sons are here — and they’re not going anywhere
Why some young men are finding happiness in their parents’ homes
wapo.st/4qWmxNV
Why some young men are finding happiness in their parents’ homes
wapo.st/4qWmxNV