New York City’s public schools have imposed a one-year ban on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) by elementary and middle school students in classrooms. Experts say the decision could influence how other school systems across the United States develop policies governing the use of AI in education.
According to Al Jazeera, the temporary ban was announced Wednesday and will remain in effect for one year. It will affect around **600,000 students** and prohibit the use of about **40 AI-powered educational tools** in classrooms. Teachers, however, will still be allowed to use AI for tasks such as lesson planning.
New York City Mayor **Zohran Mamdani** said children need teachers and human interaction to learn and develop. He emphasized the importance of building relationships with classmates, learning directly from teachers and having opportunities to solve challenging problems on their own.
Mamdani said the city will monitor the impact of the policy on students over the next year. At the same time, a limited pilot program will allow selected high school students to use AI tools under controlled conditions.
As part of the pilot, the AI-powered mathematics platform **Edia** will be limited to a maximum of **20 minutes per week**, while the English-language learning platform **Quill** can be used for up to **15 minutes per week**.
The new policy also introduces phased limits on daily screen time for students through eighth grade, with a target of keeping screen use below **45 minutes a day**. In addition, so-called **companion chatbots** will be prohibited through high school.
The policy comes as New York City’s publ# New York City Schools Ban Classroom AI Use for One Year
New York City’s public schools have imposed a one-year ban on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) by elementary and middle school students in classrooms. Experts say the decision could influence how other school systems across the United States develop policies governing the use of AI in education.
According to Al Jazeera, the temporary ban was announced Wednesday and will remain in effect for one year. It will affect around **600,000 students** and prohibit the use of about **40 AI-powered educational tools** in classrooms. Teachers, however, will still be allowed to use AI for tasks such as lesson planning.
New York City Mayor **Zohran Mamdani** said children need teachers and human interaction to learn and develop. He emphasized the importance of building relationships with classmates, learning directly from teachers and having opportunities to solve challenging problems on their own.
Mamdani said the city will monitor the impact of the policy on students over the next year. At the same time, a limited pilot program will allow selected high school students to use AI tools under controlled conditions.
As part of the pilot, the AI-powered mathematics platform **Edia** will be limited to a maximum of **20 minutes per week**, while the English-language learning platform **Quill** can be used for up to **15 minutes per week**.
The new policy also introduces phased limits on daily screen time for students through eighth grade, with a target of keeping screen use below **45 minutes a day**. In addition, so-called **companion chatbots** will be prohibited through high school.
The policy comes as New York City’s public schools are also facing challenges with academic performance. In 2025, reading proficiency scores among students in grades three through eight fell by **6%**.
**Margaret Muri**, an associate professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Michigan, said New York’s AI restrictions send an important message to other school systems. However, she cautioned that it is too early to determine how effective the ban will be because officials have not yet provided detailed information on how compliance will be enforced.
*Source: Al Jazeera*
ic schools are also facing challenges with academic performance. In 2025, reading proficiency scores among students in grades three through eight fell by **6%**.
**Margaret Muri**, an associate professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Michigan, said New York’s AI restrictions send an important message to other school systems. However, she cautioned that it is too early to determine how effective the ban will be because officials have not yet provided detailed information on how compliance will be enforced.
*Source: Al Jazeera*
