Generative AI Banned in New York Public Schools Up to High School Level
In line with a policy plan proposed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the New York City administration has enacted a sweeping policy restricting public school students’ direct access to generative artificial intelligence technologies until they reach high school. Under a one-year moratorium in effect for the 2026-27 school year, students up through eighth grade are banned from using generative AI tools in classrooms. The decision was made following intense pressure from parents and other advocates to ban the use of AI in classrooms. Covering the largest school system in the country, this policy marks the beginning of a cautious phase regarding the integration of technology into pedagogical processes for early-age groups.
In addition to the AI ban, the new policy also seeks to tighten screen time limits for the youngest learners. Accordingly, the administration is recommending 30-minute screen time limits for students in third to fifth grades and 45-minutes for sixth to eighth grades. Mamdani also said the city will disable AI components in more than 38 technology platforms that students have previously used; if AI capabilities cannot be removed from a program, the school district will stop using it.
The portion of the policy concerning high school students takes a different approach. The city will pilot five “rigorously vetted” educational AI programs in some high schools. The policy also introduces two 45 minute AI literacy modules designed to teach teens about AI-related bias, risks and ethical considerations. Thus, while a strict ban is applied to the younger age groups, a supervised and limited access strategy is envisioned at the high school level. The plan Mamdani announced calls for a one-year pause that he said can be extended or amended, depending on how the first year goes.