New York City’s public schools will implement a one-year moratorium on artificial intelligence tools for elementary and middle school students starting next week. Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Wednesday that the ban applies to all student-facing generative AI for students through 8th grade. As the nation's largest school district with approximately 900,000 students, the city is initiating this move as part of a wider assessment of how children interact with the technology and to prevent cognitive surrender.
The policy includes a prohibition of companion chatbots across all grade levels. Additionally, the city is restricting device usage by keeping students off laptops or tablets through the third grade. Recommended screen time limits will be set at 30 minutes daily for students in grades three to five and 45 minutes for those in grades six through eight. While students are restricted, teachers are still permitted to use AI for operational tasks and instructional planning.
For public high school students, the city is establishing twice-yearly AI literacy classes and supervised pilot programs to introduce them to specific AI platforms. Education officials will also conduct a comprehensive review of all technology tools used in the system, eliminating those deemed non-essential to learning.
The move comes as schools across the country navigate the balance between teaching AI integration and preventing cheating or over-reliance. While Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers, praised the screen time limits, he argued that the policy leaves questions unanswered regarding AI safeguards for purchased products. This initiative follows last year's New York state approval of a ban on cellphones in schools.