The New York City Department of Education has announced a new policy banning generative AI tools for students from early childhood through eighth grade, while also setting limits on classroom device use for younger students.
According to the New York Daily News, the ban would apply to roughly 600,000 students in kindergarten through eighth grade, about two-thirds of the system’s total enrollment.
Under the policy, students in prekindergarten through second grade would largely lose access to individual devices in class. Third through fifth graders would face a recommended 30-minute cap on individual device screentime, while middle schoolers would be limited to 45 minutes.
High school students would face what the department calls “restricted” AI use, though they could still use the technology for literacy instruction, career and certification programs, and five pilot programs currently running in select schools. Exceptions across all grade levels include assistive technology for students with disabilities and English language learners, coding assignments, and e-books.
The Department of Education said it plans to bring together parents, students, teachers, union representatives and outside experts to help shape the policy as it moves forward.
Eric Dinowitz, who chairs the City Council’s education committee, said the department appears to be responding to concerns raised at public hearings.
“The DOE is trying to be responsive to our hearings and community input from parents and advocates, but there are certainly still more questions about the details of this plan,” Dinowitz said.
Months of debate
The announcement follows months of disagreement over how the city’s schools should handle artificial intelligence. In March, the department released draft guidance based on a “traffic light” system, giving AI use in lesson planning a “green light” while marking grading with a “red light.” Critics argued the draft failed to address risks to student privacy and cognitive development. Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels later acknowledged that the March guidance “missed the mark.”
The department had intended to issue updated guidance in June but delayed the release after pushback from parents, advocacy groups and a bipartisan group of City Council members. Samuels asked principals to hold off on purchasing educational software while the guidance was being revised.
A coalition called the AI Moratorium for NYC Schools, made up of parents, teachers and advocacy organizations, has been pressing Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Chancellor Samuels to adopt a two-year moratorium on AI use in public schools. Separately, New York’s largest teachers union passed a resolution in late May calling for limits on both screentime and artificial intelligence in schools.
