New York bans AI use in elementary and middle schools

Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced today a one-year freeze on the use of artificial-intelligence tools in classrooms from kindergarten through eighth grade, a measure that will affect about 600 000 students in the public system. The prohibition takes effect in the 2026-2027 academic year and also includes a blanket ban on “companion chatbots” for all age groups.

Under the new policy, teachers are barred from using AI to grade assignments, and students are denied access to the technology in class through high school. High-school students may use AI tools only in cases defined in advance and will receive AI-literacy instruction twice a year to “think critically before they rely on it,” the announcement said. New screen limits were also introduced: personal screens are prohibited until grade 3, and middle schools are capped at 45 minutes of screen time per day. Teachers may still employ AI for lesson planning, and exemptions are granted for tools that assist students with disabilities, multilingual learners, or computer-science programs.

A limited pilot will run in up to five classes at a small number of high schools, using safety- and privacy-tested tools intended to “keep students thinking primarily.” The tools include Quill for English support, Edia for mathematics, Brisk Teaching for guided practice, and Playlab together with Intel AI-Ready Schools for interdisciplinary assistance. Each tool carries its own usage-time restrictions.

The move follows a “bell-to-bell” ban on personally owned internet-connected devices, including smartphones, that became effective this year. Officials described the policy as one of the most restrictive in the United States, noting that countries such as Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands have already implemented comparable nationwide changes out of concern for technology’s impact on developing minds. In a statement, Mamdani said, “Children need teachers and human connection to learn and grow. The tech industry wants us to believe that early education powered by AI is not only inevitable, but essential. We don’t see it that way.”