New York Bans AI Use for Students Up to Eighth Grade in Public Schools

New York City has announced a new policy banning students in public schools from using artificial intelligence (AI) through the eighth grade, typically covering children up to the age of 13 or 14.

The new restriction, announced by the city’s mayor on Wednesday, September 2, is set to take effect next week and is aimed at protecting children’s education, cognitive development and mental well-being.

The policy forms part of a major overhaul of technology use across New York City’s public school system, the largest in the United States, which serves about 900,000 students.

Under the new rules, students will also be kept off laptops and tablets through the third grade, when most children are around nine or 10 years old.

The city’s decision comes amid growing concerns from parents, teachers and researchers about the impact of AI-powered educational tools on children. Critics have warned that excessive reliance on AI could weaken students’ ability to reason independently, with researchers describing the phenomenon as “cognitive surrender.”

Environmental concerns linked to the growing use of AI technology have also contributed to the debate.

AI will only be permitted for students from ninth grade, the beginning of high school, and even then its use will be restricted to specific educational purposes, including learning about AI technology itself.

The new rules will also prohibit students from using AI “companion chatbots” designed to provide psychological or emotional support.

Teachers, however, will still be allowed to use AI for certain administrative and educational tasks, such as preparing lesson plans and drafting messages. They will not be permitted to use AI to grade students’ assignments.

The city’s Department of Education is also recommending limits on classroom screen time, suggesting a maximum of 45 minutes per class for middle school students in sixth through eighth grade and 30 minutes for elementary school students.

Despite the restrictions, questions remain over how the city will enforce the AI ban, particularly because students can easily access AI tools outside the school environment.

The latest policy follows an initial technology framework introduced in March, which used a traffic-light system to determine when and how AI could be used by students.

New York City had previously banned students from using ChatGPT in 2023, but that restriction was lifted less than a year later.

The 2026 framework initially allowed students to use AI for research, exploration and creative projects. However, the policy faced strong criticism from parents and teachers who argued that it gave students too much freedom to rely on AI.

Following the backlash, New York City Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels acknowledged that school officials had “missed the mark” in communicating the policy.

He said his office would carefully review feedback from parents and consider their concerns when developing future technology rules for the city’s public schools.