No AI for schools: Why the New York City Mayor has banned Gen AI tools for children
Last Updated: 2026-09-03 13:42:54
The whole market demands upskilling AI tools but New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has other ideas and thoughts behind this surge towards the future. He has banned Gen AI tools for kids going to NYC public schools in the city and this policy has been introduced with a clear idea behind it – make children think for themselves and not rely on AI for basic tasks.
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NYC Mayor bans Gen AI tools for students up to Grade 8.- Ban aims to make children think for themselves.
- High school students will receive AI literacy training.
Children need teachers and human connection in order to learn and grow,” Mamdani explains the reason for this move in a press release this week. This new ruling is applicable for children up to Grade 8 in the public schools in the NYC region. “They need to develop skills alongside their peers, build relationships with educators and wrestle with tough problems on their own,” he adds.
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Strict AI usage rules
The use of student-facing AI tools is banned for the kindergarten kids up to eighth grade and they cannot even rely on AI tutors to get through their homework and test practices. The tech industry wants us to believe that A.I.-powered early education is not only inevitable, but necessary. We do not see it that way,” he explained.
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The AI tools will be disabled across these schools if they do not meet the safety standards issued by his office. So if you have been using ChatGPT or even Claude or other chatbots, the ban works across grades.
These rules apply till eighth grade and students at higher level will be offered a gateway to the AI tools and programs. The high school students will be offered a set of AI critical thinking or AI literacy modules for up to 45 minutes every year. They will be trained on the practical side of AI but also make them understand its ill effects and know its scope for future growth in their careers.
More kids-centric changes coming
Mamdani has more plans to ensure children at schools are learning the natural way. He wants to put strict screen-time limits of around 35 minutes for third to fifth grade students, while the duration stretches to 45 minutes for kids in sixth to eighth grade.