NYC bans classroom AI for 600,000 students until high school

New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani has announced a one-year moratorium that bars younger public school students from using AI in classrooms, according to The Verge. The policy takes effect in the 2026-2027 school year and covers roughly 600,000 students from 2-K through eighth grade, arriving alongside new restrictions on digital devices and a narrowly scoped pilot program for AI education tools.

What the rules cover

The city's Department of Education will prohibit teachers from using AI tools to grade assignments, and students will not be allowed to use the technology in the classroom until they enter high school. Chatbots designed specifically for companionship and mental health support will reportedly be banned across all grades.

High school students will not get unrestricted access either. They may use AI only in specific instances and will be offered AI literacy classes twice a year, which the city frames as helping students "think critically" before they come to "rely on it."

Mamdani was direct in rejecting the argument that AI belongs in early education. "Children need teachers and human connection in order to learn and grow," he said in a statement, adding that students need to "wrestle with tough problems on their own." He also pushed back on the tech industry's position that AI-powered early education is inevitable and necessary, saying: "We do not see it that way."

New screen time limits

The AI moratorium comes with tighter device rules. Individual screens will be banned until third grade, and the Department of Education is issuing recommended screen time caps that include a maximum of 45 minutes per day for middle school students.

Where AI will still be allowed

Not every use is off limits. Teachers can continue using AI for lesson planning, and exceptions may be granted for tools that support students with disabilities or multilingual learners, as well as for particular purposes such as computer science programs.

The city will also run a "limited AI pilot" in up to five classes across a small number of high school classrooms. Tools in the program were vetted to meet safety and data privacy standards, carry set usage time limits, and are intended to keep "students as the primary thinker." The pilot lineup includes Quill for English language support, Edia for math, Brisk Teaching for guiding study practice, and Playlab and Intel AI-Ready Schools for multi-subject support.

How it fits the broader trend

The new rules build on New York City's bell-to-bell ban on personal internet-enabled devices, including smartphones, which took effect for the 2025-2026 school year. District leaders described the AI moratorium as one of the most restrictive policies of its kind in the US, though several countries, including Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands, have implemented nationwide changes addressing similar concerns about the effect of technology on developing minds.

Why it matters

A school system serving 600,000 students has chosen to restrict AI rather than integrate it, a notable counterpoint to the widespread assumption that AI tools will become standard classroom infrastructure. The policy also draws a clearer line than most districts have attempted: AI is acceptable for teachers preparing lessons, for accessibility needs and for carefully vetted, time-limited pilots, but not for grading, and not for students' independent work before high school. Because New York City often functions as a reference point for other large districts, the details here, especially the exception categories and the pilot's vetting criteria, are likely to shape how other school systems draft their own AI rules. The one-year timeframe also sets up a natural review point, meaning the moratorium is as much an experiment as a ban.