New York City has banned public schools from using “student-facing generative AI” until Year 9, a change affecting around 600,000 children.
The ban will run for the 2026–27 school year (September–June).
“Children need teachers and human connection in order to learn and grow,” said Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
The ban will have exemptions, such as for assistive technology used by students with disabilities.
The ban
Software with student-facing generative AI, along with companion chatbots, is banned for public school students until Year 9, when kids in the U.S. start high school.
The ban starts at “2-K”, the city’s publicly funded childcare program available to two-year-olds.
Screen time will be restricted for students in Year 2 and below, while students in Years 3 to 5 have recommended caps of 30 minutes a day, increasing to 45 minutes for students in Years 6 to 8.
High schoolers will have access to AI literacy modules twice a year.
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The modules will teach students about AI bias, the possible impacts on their careers, and risk and ethics.
Teachers will be allowed to use approved AI tools for planning and admin.
A coalition of students, teachers, parents, experts, and city representatives will assess the impact of the ban and write a report for future school years.
Australia
In Australia, education is generally a state and territory responsibility.
The states and territories have agreed to a generative AI framework for the classroom, with each jurisdiction taking different steps.
For example, this week, NSW limited take-home assessments over concerns about AI use.
From Term 4, HSC courses can include just one take-home task, worth no more than 15% of a student’s school-based assessment mark.
Queensland has a generative AI tool called Corella, which students in Years 7 to 10 can use with their parents’ and principal’s permission.
