NYC bans AI use for students until they reach high school
The Verge · 2026-09-02
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has announced a new policy banning AI use for younger schoolchildren in classrooms. This one-year moratorium, effective for the 2026-2027 school year, will impact approximately 600,000 public school students from 2-K through eighth grade. The policy also includes a ban on companion chatbots across all grades and will prohibit the use of individual screens until third grade. District leaders characterize this as one of the most restrictive AI policies in the U.S., following a separate bell-to-bell ban on personal internet-enabled electronic devices for the 2025-2026 school year. A "limited AI pilot" program for vetted tools like Quill, Edia, Brisk Teaching, Playlab, and Intel AI-Ready Schools will be offered in up to five classes in a small number of high school classrooms.