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New York City Bans Student-Facing Generative AI Through Eighth Grade

A one-year pause aimed at protecting early learning, imposing grade-based screen and device limits, testing limited high-school pilots, reviewing vendor tools.

Overview

  • The moratorium, announced Sept. 2, 2026, bars student-facing generative AI for roughly 600,000 students in 2‑K through eighth grade for the 2026–27 school year.
  • The city will restrict device access and recommend daily screen-time caps with no one-to-one devices until third grade and limits of about 30 minutes for grades 3–5 and 45 minutes for grades 6–8.
  • Teachers may use approved AI for lesson planning, translation and operational tasks but are forbidden from using AI for grading, counseling, discipline or promotion decisions.
  • High schools will run tightly supervised pilots of a small number of vetted AI programs and deliver twice-yearly AI literacy or critical-thinking modules to students.
  • City officials will disable AI features in dozens of existing programs that fail safety standards and form a stakeholder Technology in Schools Coalition to evaluate the pause and recommend next steps.