NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 New York City\u2019s public schools will temporarily ban elementary and middle school students from using generative artificial intelligence tools during the upcoming school year, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The one-year moratorium \u2014 part of a broader assessment of how children in the nation\u2019s largest school system interact with the technology<\/a> \u2014 will apply to \u201call software that uses student-facing generative AI\u201d for students through eighth grade, the mayor\u2019s office said. It described the policy as the most expansive prohibition in the country.<\/p>\n At the same time, the city will establish twice-yearly AI literacy classes for all public high school students. It will also launch pilot programs allowing some high school students to use a handful of AI platforms under an educator\u2019s supervision. Companion chatbots will be prohibited across all grades, officials said.<\/p>\n The approach comes as students, parents and schools across the country attempt to navigate the use of AI tools<\/a> in the classroom and elsewhere. Schools are working to teach children how to incorporate the technology<\/a> while preventing them from relying too heavily<\/a> on it or using it to cheat.<\/p>\n \u201cEach day when our children come to school, we teach them to ask questions, to challenge assumptions, to interrogate the premise, to ask why. When it comes to AI in our schools, we hold an obligation to do the same,\u201d Mamdani, a Democrat, said at a news conference.<\/p>\n The Los Angeles school district, where students returned to classrooms in mid-August, is temporarily blocking access to generative AI tools on student devices across all grades.<\/p>\n The Los Angeles Unified School District said Wednesday that the ban will remain in place across the country\u2019s second-largest school district as officials develop a student AI policy during the school year.<\/p>\n In June, LAUSD became the first major school district to eliminate the use of school-issued devices for its youngest students as part of a sweeping screen time policy. The policy banned devices before second grade, set screen time limits for all grades and blocked YouTube and other social media sites during the school day.<\/p>\n In New York, the city will also recommend screen time limits for students, suggesting a daily cap of 30 minutes for students in grades three through five and 45 minutes for those in grades six through eight. Teachers will be allowed to use AI for instructional planning and operational tasks.<\/p>\n At least 37 states have official AI guidance that schools can use as a blueprint, though there is no single definition of AI literacy or consensus on how it should be taught. New York state last year approved a ban on students\u2019 use of cellphones in schools.<\/p>\n City education officials will also conduct a broad review of all technology tools used in the school system and eliminate those deemed nonessential to learning.<\/p>\n Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers in New York, praised the screen time limits but said the city\u2019s AI policy \u201cleaves many questions unanswered,\u201d including how the Education Department \u201cwill be more aggressive in demanding the products it purchases have AI safeguards.\u201d<\/p>\n Josh Golin, executive director of the children\u2019s advocacy group Fairplay, said he would have preferred a longer moratorium and more time between the announcement and the start of the school year.<\/p>\n \u201cA year to evaluate is not nearly enough time,\u201d he said, adding that the onus should be on AI platforms \u201cto demonstrate that their products are effective at teaching kids, that they\u2019re safe, that they\u2019re not displacing face-to-face interaction and that they\u2019re not leading to rampant cheating.\u201d<\/p>\n New York City public school students are scheduled to return to classrooms next week.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Associated Press writer Jocelyn Gecker in San Francisco contributed to this report.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. 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