New York Bans AI for Schoolchildren

While everyone is arguing about whether teenagers should be allowed on social media, New York City authorities have gone further: children in local schools up to eighth grade are now banned from using artificial intelligence.

Starting in fall 2026, generative AI (chatbots and other AI programs for students) is banned in New York City schools. Nearly 600,000 children, two thirds of all students in the city, will not be able to use AI in class for the entire school year.

Teachers are still allowed to use AI to prepare lessons and handle routine tasks. High schoolers get restricted access, and they will also have to attend two lectures on what AI is and what makes it dangerous.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani explained the decision this way: “To learn and grow, children need teachers and face-to-face interaction. It’s also important to teach students to think for themselves.”

According to Pew Research Center, 54% of American teens aged 13 to 17 have asked a chatbot for help with schoolwork at least once, and one in ten does all or almost all of their homework with its help.

What about other countries?

Russia. The Ministry of Education has issued guidelines by grade. In primary school, children should not use AI on their own for schoolwork. In middle school, a teacher may allow an AI tool for finding information, working through difficult topics and testing guesses. In grades 10 and 11, AI is allowed in projects and research. AI tools are off limits during tests and exams, and so is handing in a fully generated piece of work under your own name.

Spain. In Catalonia, guidelines have been in effect since this school year: children under 14 should not use AI services on their own, and from 14 to 18 they need a teacher’s permission. To make sure students understand their own work, the guidelines recommend defending it orally.

Italy. Here they took a different path. In four regions, an AI assistant that shows students and teachers where difficulties arise was tested for two years. The project ended in May 2026. School principals report good results, but the official results of the national INVALSI tests are promised later, and experts urge not to rush to conclusions: the “control” classes were also using chatbots. Still, the project will most likely be expanded next year.

South Korea. AI textbooks were launched in March 2025. About 1.2 trillion won, roughly $850 million, was spent on them. But in August of the same year, parliament stripped them of their textbook status: they are now “supplementary materials.” The number of schools using them has nearly halved, from 37% to 19%.

Sources

• Pew Research Center: How teens use AI and what they think about it
• Euro Weekly News: Catalonia proposes banning AI for children under 14
• Avvenire: The first experiment with AI in Italian schools ended with mixed results
• Seoulz: AI textbooks in South Korea