New York bans AI for students up to 8th grade for one year

The measure became part of a broader assessment of how children in the largest school district in the U.S. interact with technology. City Hall said this is the largest such ban in the country.

For high school students, the city will introduce digital literacy classes in AI twice a year and launch pilot programs in which some students will become familiar with several AI platforms under a teacher’s supervision.

Companion chatbots have been banned for students of all grades without exception. Teachers, however, will be allowed to use AI for lesson planning and organizational tasks.

Mamdani said: “Every day our children come to school, we teach them to ask questions, challenge assumptions, get to the bottom of things, ask ‘why.’ When it comes to AI in our schools, we must do the same”.

The city also recommended limiting screen time for students in grades 3–5 to 30 minutes a day, and for grades 6–8 to 45 minutes. The head of New York teachers’ union UFT, Michael Mulgrew, supported these restrictions, but said the city’s AI policy leaves many questions unanswered, including how the education department will require software vendors to build in AI safeguards.

Official guidelines on the use of AI in schools exist in at least 37 states, but there is no common understanding of what counts as digital literacy in AI or how to teach it. Previously, New York state authorities had already banned students from using mobile phones in schools, and New York public school students are returning to their desks next week.

Sources

• Material: theins.ru