NYC Limits AI Use in Public Schools for Younger Students

New York City's mayor, Zahran Mamdani, announced that starting in the 2026-2027 school year, public schools will limit AI use for younger students for one year. This affects about 600,000 students from pre-K to eighth grade. The goal is to reduce kids' reliance on AI and highlight the importance of human interaction in learning.

Under the new rules, teachers can't use AI to grade homework before high school, and chatbots for companionship or mental support are banned at all grade levels. High schoolers can only use AI in certain cases and must get two AI literacy lessons each year to learn critical thinking.

Also, kids in third grade and below can't use personal screens, and middle schoolers are advised to have no more than 45 minutes of screen time daily. Teachers can still use AI for lesson prep, and tools for students with disabilities or language learners are allowed, as are computer science classes. Some high school classes will pilot AI use, but only with safe and private tools. This follows a full-day ban on personal devices already in place, making this one of the strictest policies nationwide.