Sign in

Meryl Alper

@merylalper.bsky.social
1.7K followers 660 following 85 posts

Associate Professor of Communication Studies @ Northeastern. Technology, kids, disability, mental health. BOOKS: Digital Youth with Disabilities (MIT 2014) Giving Voice (MIT 2017), Kids Across the Spectrums (MIT 2023) bit.ly/kidsacrossthespectrums

PostsRepliesMedia
Meryl Alper @merylalper.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
ICA 2027 Glasgow, 3-7 June CFP: Artificial Intelligence and Disabled Childhoods (Deadline 30 September 2026) Seeking Contributions for Proposed Panel for ICA Children, Adolescents, and Media Division; Organized by Chelsea Temple Jones (Brock U) and Meryl Alper (Northeastern U)
100
Meryl Alper @merylalper.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Fun to be quoted as an "elder Millennial" and talking about my past life as a Disney Channel employee post-college for this Boston Globe piece on local graduation speakers! www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/14/m...
bostonglobe.com
Conan O’Brien at Harvard is pretty on brand, but what does Hilary Duff signal about Northeastern? - The Boston Globe
Several celebrity speakers are coming to a campus near you.
041
Reposted by Meryl Alper
Meryl Alper @merylalper.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Looking forward to talking about my new project, "Technology and the Neurodivergent Family," @ucirvine.bsky.social and the Dept. of Informatics Speaker Series next Friday, April 17, 1-2 pm PST (in person and via Zoom) ics.uci.edu/event/techno...
ics.uci.edu
Technology and the Neurodivergent Family
Abstract: Research on media, technology, and neurodivergence has expanded greatly over the past decade to be more inclusive of neurodivergent (ND) adults (particularly those identifying…
032
Meryl Alper @merylalper.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Looking forward to talking about my new project, "Technology and the Neurodivergent Family," @ucirvine.bsky.social and the Dept. of Informatics Speaker Series next Friday, April 17, 1-2 pm PST (in person and via Zoom) ics.uci.edu/event/techno...
ics.uci.edu
Technology and the Neurodivergent Family
Abstract: Research on media, technology, and neurodivergence has expanded greatly over the past decade to be more inclusive of neurodivergent (ND) adults (particularly those identifying…
032
Meryl Alper @merylalper.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
This is a truly bonkers AI overview from Google. No, "YouTube data" is not a measure of autism rates in children. The hyperlink leads to a NBC News story on YouTube, reporting on CDC data. This kind of convoluted AI interpretation renders the actual science of data collection invisible.
000
Reposted by Meryl Alper
Meryl Alper @merylalper.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
This interview with the BBC — on how AI is impacting body image among blind individuals — was one of the most interesting and engaging that I’ve ever done. www.bbc.com/future/artic...
bbc.com
'AI mirrors' are changing the way blind people see themselves
Artificial intelligence is helping blind people access visual feedback about their bodies, sometimes for the first time. The consequences are only just emerging.
121
Meryl Alper @merylalper.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
This interview with the BBC — on how AI is impacting body image among blind individuals — was one of the most interesting and engaging that I’ve ever done. www.bbc.com/future/artic...
bbc.com
'AI mirrors' are changing the way blind people see themselves
Artificial intelligence is helping blind people access visual feedback about their bodies, sometimes for the first time. The consequences are only just emerging.
121
Meryl Alper @merylalper.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
Does anyone know of research out there on immigrant use of ChatGPT to navigate culture/social norms and practical daily life in new country (maybe replacing some of the cultural brokering that children of immigrants sometimes do)? TIA!
000
Reposted by Meryl Alper
Thriving Autistic @thrivingautistic.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
Does anyone know of any support groups for Neurodivergent people with cancer undergoing treatment and/ or any support groups for carers? Please feel free to drop signposting below or direct message me, thank you.
11423
Reposted by Meryl Alper
Julia Métraux @juliametraux.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
I interviewed @angelafrederick.bsky.social about her book Disabled Power, which details the extreme challenges disabled people faced when part of the Texas power grid failed during Winter Storm Uri in 2021, at @motherjones.com. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
motherjones.com
What a crumbling power grid means for disabled Americans
Angela Frederick's new book calls to put disability at the center of disaster planning.
317574
Meryl Alper @merylalper.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
Bondi lifeguard/photographer Anthony Glick took this incredibly powerful photo of Bondi Beach shortly after 10/7. My heart is with the entire Jewish community of Australia. May the memories of the victims of this horrific antisemitic terror attack be for a blessing. www.instagram.com/p/DSPdI2tif6...
111
Reposted by Meryl Alper
Meryl Alper @merylalper.bsky.social · 03/11/2025
📣 RECRUITMENT FOR NEW STUDY! Are you a parent of a child ages 9-17 with a formal diagnosis of autism and/or ADHD, living in the U.S.? And do you also have a formal diagnosis of autism and/or ADHD, or strongly believe that you would qualify for one? (🧵 1/3)
121
Meryl Alper @merylalper.bsky.social · 03/11/2025
📣 RECRUITMENT FOR NEW STUDY! Are you a parent of a child ages 9-17 with a formal diagnosis of autism and/or ADHD, living in the U.S.? And do you also have a formal diagnosis of autism and/or ADHD, or strongly believe that you would qualify for one? (🧵 1/3)
121
Reposted by Meryl Alper
Nadine Batchelor-Hunt @nadinebh.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
+/ For all the talk about peace, these algorithms are not promoting peace or mutual understand or a position of constructive dialogue - they’re promoting THEM VS US, which is an absolute disaster for peace activists Makes me realise how much true peace builders have the odds stacked against them
2112
Reposted by Meryl Alper
Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 09/10/2025
Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE
nyti.ms
14147041812
Reposted by Meryl Alper
Rua M. Williams @fractalecho.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
I wonder if this person knows their mean email started a chain reaction that led to me writing a book
012512
Reposted by Meryl Alper
Eric Michael Garcia @ericmgarcia.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
Trump and RFK Jr. have scared the families of #ActuallyAutistic children so much that they are afraid of getting their children diagnosed. But that carries tons of risk and preventing autistic kids getting the services they need. www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
independent.co.uk
I was diagnosed with autism before RFK Jr.’s claims ... and I’m grateful for that
The Independent’s Capitol Hill reporter Eric Garcia talks to families who fear getting their children screened for autism because of Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s fear-mongering
37629
Reposted by Meryl Alper
Julia Métraux @juliametraux.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
It's wild for disability to be such a mainstream topic in the news just week. I just hate that it's because of dehumanizing of autistic people.
010017
Reposted by Meryl Alper
Connected Learning Alliance @theclalliance.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
“It’s really important not to over-romanticize interest-driven learning, because now, with those interests – anything you have an interest in algorithmically – there’s a profit-driven goal in cultivating them." - @merylalper.bsky.social ✨ New CLA Blog:
connectedlearning.news
CLS2025 Keynote Speaker Meryl Alper On Why We Need Connected Learning Now More Than Ever - Connected Learning Alliance
“The value of CLS is that its foundation is so strong that a community can build itself upon it…The principles of connected learning, and all the research that’s gone into it, it’s so rock solid that…
001
Meryl Alper @merylalper.bsky.social · 11/09/2025
Especially when Apple has dodged responsibility for serving as “durable medical equipment” in the US (and for US insurance companies.)
081
Reposted by Meryl Alper
Kraig Peck @kraigpeck.bsky.social · 11/09/2025
Rosa Roisinblit, Who Championed the Missing in Argentina, Dies at 106. She helped create the activist group Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo, which sought to find relatives who had been killed or “disappeared” by the 1976-83 military dictatorship. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/10/o...
nytimes.com
Rosa Roisinblit, Who Championed the Missing in Argentina, Dies at 106
0103
Reposted by Meryl Alper
Connected Learning Alliance @theclalliance.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
✨ We need #ConnectedLearning now more than ever. ✨ New CLA Blog features our #ConnectedLearning2025 Keynote Speaker @merylalper.bsky.social, Professor at Northeastern University and author of Kids Across the Spectrums: Growing up Autistic in a Digital Age. connectedlearning.news/cla090925
connectedlearning.news
CLS2025 Keynote Speaker Meryl Alper On Why We Need Connected Learning Now More Than Ever - Connected Learning Alliance
“The value of CLS is that its foundation is so strong that a community can build itself upon it…The principles of connected learning, and all the research that’s gone into it, it’s so rock solid that ...
001
Reposted by Meryl Alper
Connected Learning Alliance @theclalliance.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
🎉 #ConnectedLearning2025 𝗞𝗲𝘆𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘀 & 𝗣𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱! 🎉 🎙 𝗞𝗲𝘆𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 • Meryl Alper (MIT/Online) (@merylalper.bsky.social) • Vanessa Angélica Villarreal (Stanford/Online) (@elnorterecuerda.bsky.social) • Danaé Metaxa (UC Irvine/Online)
142
Reposted by Meryl Alper
Chalkbeat @chalkbeat.org · 06/08/2025
A Common Sense Media study found that prominent teacher assistants that use AI generated recommendations that appeared to be rooted in racial stereotypes based on students’ names. About a third of teachers report using AI weekly, according to a recent survey.
bit.ly
Annie and Lakeesha struggle in school. AI teacher assistants treated them very differently.
A Common Sense Media study found that prominent teacher assistants that use AI generated recommendations that appeared to be rooted in racial stereotypes based on students’ names. About a third of teachers report using AI weekly, according to a recent survey.
7153100
Meryl Alper @merylalper.bsky.social · 01/08/2025
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting existed for Viewers Like You. I am so proud of the work that I’ve done to support the youngest of those viewers, and still in disbelief over the dismantling of CPB when America’s children need it the most.
040
Reposted by Meryl Alper
Patrick Klepek @patrickklepek.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
Roblox is becoming more like Discord and leveraging the kind of "age recognition" technology that's likely to be all over the internet soon. The latest details on the new safety features that Roblox is pitching: www.crossplay.news/p/new-roblox...
crossplay.news
Everything to Know About Roblox's New Safety Features (Especially If You Have a Teen!)
Roblox is becoming more like Discord and leveraging the kind of "age recognition" technology that's likely to be all over the internet soon.
1185
Meryl Alper @merylalper.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
📣 NEW ARTICLE ALERT 📣: Proud to share our open access article in New Media & Society, titled “‘Actually an ED and not just a quirky aspect of autism’: TikTok as a forum and mediator of autistic food issues and eating disorders.” journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
171
Reposted by Meryl Alper
Emerson Victoria Johnston @idenarch.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
Researchers from Cornell, Columbia, UC Berkeley, and the New York State Psychiatric Institute found children with highly addictive use of phones, video games or social media were two to three times as likely to have thoughts of suicide or to harm themselves. Read more below. #icsfeed
nytimes.com
Real Risk to Youth Mental Health Is ‘Addictive Use,’ Not Screen Time Alone, Study Finds
051
Reposted by Meryl Alper
The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 18/06/2025
Some parents are getting old-school phones for their kids—and discovering surprising benefits. Rheana Murray reports on the landline pod:
bit.ly
The Dumbest Phone Is Parenting Genius
Landlines encourage connection—without the downsides of smartphones.
512122
Reposted by Meryl Alper
Pete Etchells @peteetchells.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
🎙️Screen Sense - new podcast with me and @shuhbillskee.bsky.social, is launching next week! Two psychologists (and dads) talking honestly about what it means to raise a family in a screen-filled world - with science, real stories and zero guilt. Launching 13th June. screensensepodcast.substack.com
23114
Reposted by Meryl Alper
Connected Learning Alliance @theclalliance.bsky.social · 04/06/2025
ICYMI: Our two keynote speakers for the 2025 Connected Learning Summit: @merylalper.bsky.social and @metaxa.net! ✨👏🏼🎉 In-person attendees can catch the Opening Keynote on Monday, October 6 at MIT (Cambridge, MA) and the Closing keynote on Friday, October 10 at UC Irvine (Irvine, CA). 🧵[1/2]
101
Reposted by Meryl Alper
Halie Soifer @haliesoifer.bsky.social · 02/06/2025
So POTUS can't bother to mention American Jews or antisemitism when responding to a vile act of antisemitic violence. And he blames...Joe Biden? What a pathetic statement of purported leadership.
4297
Reposted by Meryl Alper
Meryl Alper @merylalper.bsky.social · 28/05/2025
NEWS 📣: I'm excited to take part in this year's multi-sited Connected Learning Summit as Opening Keynote Speaker at MIT, alongside Danaé Metaxa @metaxa.net (University of Pennsylvania) as Closing Keynote Speaker at UC Irvine! connectedlearningsummit.org
121
Meryl Alper @merylalper.bsky.social · 28/05/2025
NEWS 📣: I'm excited to take part in this year's multi-sited Connected Learning Summit as Opening Keynote Speaker at MIT, alongside Danaé Metaxa @metaxa.net (University of Pennsylvania) as Closing Keynote Speaker at UC Irvine! connectedlearningsummit.org
121
Reposted by Meryl Alper
The Forward @forward.com · 22/05/2025
The shooting is the latest fatal attack on a U.S. Jewish institution. The deadliest antisemitic attack occurred in 2018 at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. The following year saw three more — on a synagogue in California, a rabbi’s house in New York and a kosher supermarket in New Jersey.
forward.com
2 killed in Capital Jewish Museum shooting by suspect who shouted 'Free Palestine,' police say
A shooting at the Capital Jewish Museum in D.C. has killed two Israeli Embassy staff members, according to multiple reports.
112
Reposted by Meryl Alper
Meryl Alper @merylalper.bsky.social · 19/05/2025
In response to the U.S. Department of Education's announced termination of the Ready to Learn (RTL) grants, which promote the gold standard of educational media in the U.S., I wrote an op-ed for Newsweek defending PBS KIDS and their RTL-funded work. www.newsweek.com/americas-chi...
newsweek.com
Children Are "Ready To Learn" With PBS KIDS. Will the Trump Admin Listen?
Ready to Learn (RTL) grants provide a safety net for U.S. children who are traditionally underserved educationally. The current federal administration just slashed those nets.
111
Reposted by Meryl Alper
Kristen Lopez @kristenklopez.bsky.social · 19/05/2025
Shout out to @novicsara.bsky.social, one of the few Deaf critics who reviewed the movie and inspired me to write about this problem. Read her review! buttondown.com/signs+wonder...
buttondown.com
Review: Deaf President Now! Documentary
Heads up: The following is a review of the new documentary Deaf President Now! available to stream today on Apple+. Given that the events of this film took...
174
Meryl Alper @merylalper.bsky.social · 19/05/2025
Fantastic news! This deal insures that the widest swath of America's kids have access to "Sesame Street," be in through PBS KIDS or Netflix, without compromising the high-quality research that goes into each episode. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/19/b...
nytimes.com
‘Sesame Street,’ Facing Crisis, Signs New Deal With Netflix
000
Meryl Alper @merylalper.bsky.social · 19/05/2025
In response to the U.S. Department of Education's announced termination of the Ready to Learn (RTL) grants, which promote the gold standard of educational media in the U.S., I wrote an op-ed for Newsweek defending PBS KIDS and their RTL-funded work. www.newsweek.com/americas-chi...
newsweek.com
Children Are "Ready To Learn" With PBS KIDS. Will the Trump Admin Listen?
Ready to Learn (RTL) grants provide a safety net for U.S. children who are traditionally underserved educationally. The current federal administration just slashed those nets.
111
Reposted by Meryl Alper
Center for Democracy & Technology @cdt.org · 15/05/2025
Dig into the full research report from CDT’s Elizabeth Laird, @maddydwyer.bsky.social, and Kristin Woelfel that seeks to understand the prevalence of deepfakes, NCII, and related issues in K-12 schools: cdt.org/insights/rep...
cdt.org
Report – In Deep Trouble: Surfacing Tech-Powered Sexual Harassment in K-12 Schools
Executive Summary Generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools continue to capture the imagination, but increasingly the technology’s damaging potential is revealing itself. An often problematic use of generative AI is in the creation and distribution of deepfakes online, especially because the vast majority contain sexually explicit intimate depictions. In the past school year (2023-2024), the rise […]
011
Reposted by Meryl Alper
Emily Baker-White @ebakerwhite.bsky.social · 12/05/2025
New from me: chatbots for schoolchildren dispensed dangerous information — including instructions for how to synthesize fentanyl and a date rape drug — in tests conducted by Forbes. www.forbes.com/sites/emilyb...
forbes.com
AI Tutors For Kids Gave Fentanyl Recipes And Dangerous Diet Advice
AI study aid chatbots for teen users provided detailed recipes for drugs, dangerous dieting advice, and tips on “pickup artistry” in tests conducted by Forbes.
8298153
Meryl Alper @merylalper.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
It was a tremendous honor to be recognized last night by Northeastern University‘s College of Arts, Media, and Design (CAMD) with the 2025 Faculty Excellence in Research and Creativity Award at CAMD Graduation!
120
Reposted by Meryl Alper
Stine Eckert @stineeckert.bsky.social · 07/05/2025
Ha! Good haul in my mailbox today. My copy of "Always an Academic Immigrant" by the brilliant Dafna Lemish arrived. Can't wait to read and use it for teaching. It could not be more timely. Thank you @rutgersupress.bsky.social for the speedy delivery. www.rutgersuniversitypress.org/always-an-ac...
062
Meryl Alper @merylalper.bsky.social · 07/05/2025
I cannot read this quote, from a DoE rep about cancelling the PBS KIDS Ready to Learn grants (deadline.com/2025/05/trum...), and not think about how in 1970, Mississippi refused to air "Sesame Street" because it depicted a racially integrated neighborhood (www.washingtonpost.com/history/2023...).
182
Reposted by Meryl Alper
amanda hess @amandahess.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
I wrote a book and it's out today. This is not a drill. Get the book critics are calling "captivating, charged and crucially provocative": SECOND LIFE: HAVING A CHILD IN THE DIGITAL AGE bookshop.org/p/books/seco...
bookshop.org
Second Life: Having a Child in the Digital Age
Having a Child in the Digital Age
822945
Meryl Alper @merylalper.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
For 30+ years, the U.S. DoE has funded Ready to Learn (RTL) grants, which include all kids in maximizing the benefits of children's media, with evidence-based educational impact. On Fri night, the Trump admin TERMINATED current RTL grants, and plans to eliminate in 2026. thehill.com/homenews/med...
thehill.com
200
Reposted by Meryl Alper
Brian Stelter @brianstelter.bsky.social · 03/05/2025
The Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 created the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. I reread it today; nothing in the law allows a president to defund PBS and NPR. In fact, Congress specifically sought to insulate public media from political pressure.
386205967221