The New York City Department of Education announced it will ban the use of AI for public school students until they reach high school, and has also adopted new policies such as banning chatbots across all grade levels.
On September 2, 2026, local time, New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani and New York City Superintendent of Education Kamal Samuels announced the most comprehensive ban on AI in schools in the United States.
Mayor Mamdani and Chancellor Samuels Put Students First with Nation's Broadest Generative AI Moratorium in Schools - NYC Mayor's Office
NYC school system to ban AI for elementary, middle school students - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/02/nyc-school-system-to-ban-generative-ai-for-elementary-middle-school-students-01061364
Mamdani imposes one-year ban on AI for most NYC students | Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/technology/mamdani-imposes-one-year-ban-ai-most-nyc-students-2026-09-02/
New York City Public Schools banning AI use through middle school starting this year - ABC News
https://abcnews.com/Technology/new-york-city-public-schools-banning-ai-middle/story?id=136134872
The AI ban announced by Mayor Mamdani and Superintendent Samuels will temporarily suspend the use of generative AI for students in schools. The ban will apply to children from age 2 to 8th grade (ages 13-14, the final year of middle school), and will suspend the use of AI in schools for one year starting in the 2026-2027 academic year.
This AI ban is the broadest one yet to be implemented in the United States targeting students, prohibiting the use of 'all software that uses generative AI' and 'AI chatbots for students' provided to students. According to Mayor Mamdani, the AI ban will disable or suspend the AI functionality of approximately 40 educational tools used in New York City schools.
According to the New York City Department of Education, the AI ban will affect approximately 600,000 students in public schools (two-thirds of all students in New York City), but students with disabilities and English language learners will still be able to use student-friendly AI.
In addition, in conjunction with the AI ban, the New York City Department of Education plans to conduct AI literacy courses twice a year for high school students aimed at developing critical thinking skills, run a limited AI pilot program in select high school classrooms targeting up to 50,000 students (approximately 5% of the total public school student population), and introduce age-appropriate screen time limits. These screen time limits will not include assignments related to ebooks, robotics, programming, or simulations.
Mayor Mamdani explained the AI ban, saying, 'Children need teachers and human connections to learn and grow. They need to hone their skills with their peers, build relationships with educators, and tackle difficult problems on their own. The technology industry argues that early childhood education using AI is inevitable, or even essential, but we do not agree. That is why we have decided to temporarily suspend the use of generative AI for students from age two to the second year of middle school and to study the impact of this technology for the next year.'
New York Governor Kathy Houkur said, 'We have a responsibility to ensure that rapidly changing technology supports, rather than hinders, children's learning. New York has been a leader in helping children focus on learning and growing rather than spending time clicking and scrolling. I commend Mayor Mamdani for further developing this effort and advancing our shared goal of supporting children in New York.'
Furthermore, Superintendent Samuels commented, 'As a superintendent and as a parent, I believe our role is to ensure that all children develop the critical thinking skills they need before graduation, while protecting the elements that make learning effective. We are taking safety measures to protect the human connections, curiosity, and creativity that foster children's growth. We remain committed to the belief that innovation does not mean the augmentation of technology, and over the next year, we will be working to ensure that technology is used to help learning, based on evidence.'
Mayor Mamdani & Chancellor Samuels Put Students First with Generative AI Moratorium in Schools - YouTube
The impact of the AI ban will be assessed by the 'School Technology Coalition,' which consists of students, educators, parent representatives, elected officials, advocates, labor union representatives, and experts in the field.
In the United States, there is a growing movement to limit children's screen time, and this AI ban is seen as part of an effort to prevent young children from becoming overly reliant on technology.
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in AI, Posted by logu_ii