New York City public schools will prohibit students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade from using generative artificial intelligence tools for the 2026-2027 academic year. The ban, announced by Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels, affects approximately 600,000 students, representing two-thirds of the city's public school enrollment. This measure, described as the most extensive student-facing AI moratorium in the nation, includes a prohibition on companion chatbots.
The decision stems from a belief that "children need teachers and human connection in order to learn and grow," according to Mayor Mamdani. He stated that the tech industry's push for AI-powered early education is not necessarily aligned with educational needs, and the city intends to use the year to study the technology's impacts.
Alongside the AI ban, the city is implementing new screen time policies. Students in second grade and below will have restricted or no individual screen time. Recommended screen time caps are set at 30 minutes per day for students in third through fifth grades and 45 minutes for those in sixth through eighth grades.
Teachers will continue to be permitted to use AI for instructional planning and operational tasks, provided the tools meet New York City Public Schools' safety standards. However, AI tools will not be permitted for grading assignments. Exceptions to the student AI ban will be made for assistive technology used by students with disabilities, multilingual learners, and students participating in career readiness programs, such as computer science.
For high school students, the policy includes twice-yearly AI critical thinking modules and limited pilot programs in a small number of classrooms. These pilot programs will involve carefully vetted AI tools and will be conducted under the direct supervision of trained educators. The city plans to form a coalition of students, educators, parents, and other stakeholders to assess the moratorium's impact and the effectiveness of the pilots over the next year.
All technology tools used in New York City Public Schools will undergo a thorough review. Tools will be barred if they are not deemed mission-critical to learning. This review process will assess vendor accountability, safety and transparency standards, ethics, evidence of learning design, instructional impact, prior research, and user feedback.
The United Federation of Teachers expressed support for the screen time limitations but noted that the policy leaves "many questions unanswered" regarding AI safeguards in software. The new guidelines come as educators nationwide grapple with how to integrate or restrict AI in classrooms.