AI largely to be banned in NYC elementary and middle schools
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About 600,000 students in the city’s schools will not be allowed to use AI until they enter high school. Pictured is a high school class in New York.
PHOTO: SARA MESSINGER/NYTIMES
Matthew Haag
- New York City will ban AI use for elementary and middle-school students, allowing it only in specific cases for high schoolers, and will limit screen time and chatbot use.
- The policy aims to protect children’s human connection, creativity and curiosity by restricting technology in classrooms, responding to parental concerns about AI’s impact on learning.
- Teachers can use AI for certain tasks but cannot rely on it for grading or critical decisions; some exceptions apply for approved programmes and support for special needs students.
AI generated
NEW YORK – When New York City public schoolchildren return to the classroom in the week of Sept 7, younger students will be barred from using artificial intelligence. No individual screens will be allowed until third grade. And teachers will not be able to ask AI to grade assignments.
Those rules on technology use are part of a sweeping new policy announced on Sept 2 by the city’s Department of Education that will place strict limits on digital devices and AI tools in the city’s school system – the nation’s largest – particularly for its elementary and middle-school students.
