New York, September 3 (TNA) New York City has imposed a sweeping one-year ban on student-facing generative artificial intelligence for all public-school children from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, and recommended strict daily screen-time limits for younger grades, officials announced Wednesday.
The policy, described by Mayor Zohran Mamdani as “the most expansive student-facing AI moratorium in the nation,” will affect roughly 600,000 students-about two-thirds of the city’s public-school population-and runs through the end of the 2026–27 school year.
AI ban covers chatbots, tutors and classroom tools
Under the new rules, students in grades 2-K through 8 will not be allowed to use any software that relies on student-facing generative AI, including instructional programs, AI-powered tutors and educational chatbots. Companion chatbot apps designed for conversation, emotional support or mental-health-style interactions are prohibited across all grades, including high school.
Teachers in elementary and middle schools are also barred from using AI tools to grade student assignments during the moratorium period, as the city conducts a broader review of how children interact with the technology. High schools will be allowed limited, supervised AI use, including pilot AI-literacy lessons, but even there the tools will be restricted to specific cases.
Screen-time limits for youngest learners
Alongside the AI restrictions, the Department of Education issued new guidance on device use:
• Students from pre-kindergarten through second grade will not be permitted to use individual laptops, tablets or other one-to-one devices in class.
• For grades 3–5, the city recommends no more than 30 minutes per day of screen time on individual devices.
• For grades 6–8, the recommended cap is 45 minutes per day.
Exceptions will be granted for assistive technology used by students with disabilities, multilingual learners and those in career-readiness or computer-science programs.
“Human connection” over screens, mayor says
Mayor Mamdani said the restrictions are intended to protect childhood development and prioritise “human connection” in classrooms. At the same time, educators, parents and experts study the long-term effects of AI on learning. “We are implementing a moratorium on generative AI for students in pre-school through eighth grade and will spend the next year studying the impacts of this technology,” he said in a statement.
Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels and city officials said a coalition of teachers, parents, researchers and elected officials will review evidence over the coming year and recommend whether and how to adjust the rules after the moratorium ends.
Part of a national debate
New York’s move comes as school districts across the United States grapple with how to integrate AI tools without undermining critical thinking, writing skills and student well-being. Education advocates have expressed both support for caution and concern that overly strict bans could leave some students behind in a rapidly changing technological landscape.
For now, when students return to class next week, younger learners in the nation’s largest school system will do so without access to generative AI in their lessons and with sharply curtailed screen time.