New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani unveiled new rules restricting the use of artificial intelligence in city public schools. Under the plan, AI tools will be banned from classrooms for students through eighth grade in the 2026–27 school year, affecting about 600,000 public school pupils.
Scope of the restrictions
The measure begins as a one-year moratorium that bars classroom AI use by the affected students. Teachers would also be prohibited from using AI to grade or score student work. For high school students, AI use would be allowed only in specified circumstances.
Mamdani said children primarily need teachers, human relationships and personal interaction to develop, and rejected the tech industry’s claim that AI-driven education is inevitable or essential.
Exceptions and complementary rules
The regulation is not an absolute ban. Teachers may continue to use AI for lesson planning, and exceptions can be made for tools that assist students with disabilities or multilingual learners. Certain information-technology and other specialized courses may also be exempted.
High school students would receive AI-literacy instruction twice a year to help them critically evaluate the technology before relying on it. Chatbots that exist solely to provide companionship or mental-health support would be banned at all grade levels.
Tighter screen-time limits
City officials are simultaneously tightening rules on screen time: screens would be banned through third grade, and for pre-high-school ages a recommended maximum of 45 minutes of screen time per day would apply.
These steps build on an earlier policy: New York City public schools implemented a full-day ban on personal internet-capable electronic devices, including smartphones, for the 2025–26 school year.
Pilot programs and international context
At the same time, the city is not abandoning education-focused AI entirely. A small pilot program will test pre-approved AI tools in up to a few high-school classrooms. Those pilots will include systems for English-language support, mathematics practice, and multi-subject learning with defined time limits.
New York’s education leadership characterizes the new rule as among the strictest AI restrictions for schools in the United States. Other countries — including Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands — have also introduced limits on the use of digital technologies in schools.
Why it matters
The decision marks a notable development in U.S. school technology policy: it responds to uncertainty around AI in education while emphasizing pedagogical priorities and tighter control of youth screen use. The practical effects of the moratorium and the stricter rules will become clearer in the coming school years.
