{"id":358037,"date":"2026-09-27T10:58:07","date_gmt":"2026-09-27T10:58:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/358037\/"},"modified":"2026-09-27T10:58:07","modified_gmt":"2026-09-27T10:58:07","slug":"present-concerns-future-worries-parents-weigh-in-on-nyc-school-technology-ban-the-74","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/358037\/","title":{"rendered":"Present Concerns & Future Worries: Parents Weigh In on NYC School Technology Ban \u2013 The 74"},"content":{"rendered":"

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New York City students returned to public school in September facing a one-year moratorium<\/a> on using generative artificial intelligence, including chatbots and tutors, in grades 2K through 8, as well as restrictions on screen time: none whatsoever for the youngest grades, a maximum of 30 minutes a day for grades 3 to 5 and a 45-minute limit for grades 6 to 8.<\/p>\n

When I asked families subscribed to my 4,200-plus member NYC School Secrets<\/a> mailing list how they felt about participating in America\u2019s most sweeping classroom technology ban<\/a>, the majority who responded were enthusiastic.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI am thrilled they implemented this and honestly wish it were for longer than a year,\u201d wrote Emily C., a Manhattan second-grade parent who spoke for many. \u201cI am hopeful after they see the positive effects of the moratorium for K-8th graders, it will be extended.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, even those who agreed in principle expressed concerns.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Parents of younger children reacted to the AI ban based on what they\u2019d heard and read about its dangers. Those with students in higher grades referenced more concrete experiences in forming their opinions.<\/p>\n

A mother who asked to be called JW, for instance, was open to teachers being able to use AI in line with the exemption<\/a> that permits it for lesson planning, translation and communication with families. She wrote, \u201cWhen my student had a first-year teacher, I observed AI was very helpful for the teacher to quickly and efficiently create the weekly newsletter. Some parents knew she was using AI, my student saw her using AI, yet the teacher was overwhelmed with new curriculum, new job, learning to run a classroom, etc., so I thought her using AI in that situation was resourceful and helped reduce \u2018parent noise\u2019 from her inbox.\u201d<\/p>\n

Data engineer, dad of three and PTA co-president Luigi Kapaj saw both sides of the issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am against the screen ban. I don\u2019t understand how teachers could not address the in-class distraction the same as any other in-class distraction such as talking or passing notes where it is a problem,\u201d he said, then qualified, \u201cThe problem with AI in classrooms come down to two major issues: It is more harmful than helpful, and it is often wrong. A kid in my daughter\u2019s class used AI on a phone during a test without getting caught, and that kid got the lowest grade. This is worse than just cheating, which prevents a proper assessment. AI is preventing kids from learning. Putting all tests online where it is alongside access to AI is a formula for disaster. AI may be unreliable in some fields, good enough in others, but it\u2019s horrifying in things like education, where errors have profound consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n

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RelatedParents, Schools Clash Over Movement to Abolish Screens<\/p>\n

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Another NYC mom, though, sees genuine harm in keeping children away from technology.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have taken the AI ban way too far,\u201d she asserted. \u201cThey are actually hurting education. They have taken away amazing programs like Delta Math. When my daughter didn\u2019t understand a math concept, [Delta] had great videos and actual examples. Now, in art class (her strength), they have taken away computers to minimize screen time, and now it will take even longer to get reference material for class to share among the kids. Yet they want our kids sitting on screens for hours at a time to complete their stupid i-Ready<\/a> and state testing. Where is the reasoning in that? Yes, there are some schools that use an excessive amount of screen time and should be monitored and enforced, but don\u2019t hurt the kids and the school that is doing it the right way!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Queens\u2019 Amelia M. even believes the ban could hinder her child\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy son is in eighth grade and told me today that they aren\u2019t using computers at all in class any more due to the 45-minute limit on screen time, though for the past three years there was use in every class and they\u2019ve been taught how to work with the technology (Google slides, doc, sheets).\u201d She worried, \u201cThis same group of kids (born in 2013) is having to pivot again. They must learn a new skill set or way of studying (which of course may be valuable), but is this preparing them for high school and beyond? To skip a year of technology use altogether (which CAN be used without AI) \u2014 will this set them back as ninth graders?\u201d<\/p>\n

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RelatedScreen Bans Can Be Education\u2019s Dry January \u2014 Time for a Much-Needed Reset<\/p>\n

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\u201cI feel that those of us who have young children right now have an incredible opportunity to learn from those whose kids are slightly older, who were victims of the pandemic-era damage of bottomless screen time,\u201d summarized MT, who has children in pre-K and second grade. \u201cWe need to redefine expectations around how teachers use screens and technology in a one-to-many classroom context, especially for younger children.\u201d<\/p>\n

Only time will prove whether parental hopes \u2014 or their fears \u2014 will come true.<\/p>\n

But with NYC being the largest school district in the U.S., it\u2019s inevitable that the data it generates this year will be used by other districts as they craft their own future policies.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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We\u2019d love to hear how The 74\u2019s reporting is helping educators, researchers, and policymakers. Tell us how<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter New York City…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":358038,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[64763,38916,111265,9,24,56,63,65,64,299,25446],"class_list":["post-358037","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-4fams","tag-cell-phone-ban","tag-ed-tech","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-ny","tag-nyc","tag-nyc-headlines","tag-nyc-news","tag-opinion","tag-screen-time"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/358037","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=358037"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/358037\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/358038"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=358037"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=358037"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=358037"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}