New York City Mayor Zahran Mamdani and Schools Chancellor Kamar announced a new policy in connection to the use of AI on Wednesday( local time), a week before classes begin on September 10. Under the new policy, the use of artificial intelligence tools will be banned across schools, while screen time will be restricted for elementary and middle school students in the upcoming school year.
The policy will apply to roughly 600,000 public school students. Under the policy, the use of AI among preschool through grade eight students, including all student-facing software that uses generative AI, is banned. AI chatbots are prohibited for all grades.
“The tech industry wants us to believe that AI-powered early education is not only inevitable, but necessary. We do not see it that way,” Mamdani said in a statement. “That’s why we’re implementing a moratorium on generative AI for students in 2-K through 8th grade and spending the next year studying the impacts of this technology.”
The new policy comes against the backdrop of parents across the country complaining about the use of technology and school-issued devices in classrooms. There are also concerns about the impact of AI on learning and child development, particularly among younger children.
Under the new policy, screen time will be limited to one device for students in grades 1 and 2. It recommends capping screen time at 30 minutes per day for students in grades 3 to 5 and a maximum of 45 minutes for students in grades 6 through 8.
However, there will be exceptions. A handful of AI pilot programs will be conducted for high school students throughout the year. AI use will also be permitted for students with disabilities, multilingual learners, and career studies. Teachers will continue to be able to use AI for planning and administrative operations.
New York City’s school system said it will conduct an exhaustive review of all technology tools used in schools and bar tools that are not considered critical to learning.
Earlier in May, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a warning about the increasing evidence of health risks to children and adolescents linked to excessive and harmful screen use.
The announcement follows a similar move by the Los Angeles Unified School District, which adopted a sweeping policy to reduce screen time in classrooms and largely ban the use of devices in preschools, kindergarten, and grade one. The policy went into effect for elementary students last month.
More than 80 similar active campaigns are underway nationwide, asking school boards in 24 states to implement new rules around classroom device use and screen time, according to an online opinion tracker.