New York City has announced a one-year ban on student use of Artificial Intelligence for pupils up to 8th grade, affecting nearly 600,000 public school students.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani made the announcement on Wednesday, saying the move is aimed at protecting children’s education and mental health.

Under the new policy, only high school students aged 14 and above will be allowed limited access to AI through pilot programs. They will also receive AI literacy classes twice a year.

Emotional support chatbots will be banned for all grade levels.

The Mayor said: “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. Children need teachers and human connection in order to learn and grow. They need to develop skills alongside their peers, build relationships with educators and wrestle with tough problems on their own.”

Teachers are still allowed to use AI for lesson planning and administrative work.

The decision reverses an earlier framework released in March that allowed younger students to use AI for research and creative projects. That plan drew criticism from parents and teachers who called it too lenient.

Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels admitted the city “missed the mark” in its communication and said feedback would be reviewed for future rules.

For the 2026-2027 school year, a task force made up of students, teachers, parents, officials and industry experts will assess the impact of the ban before releasing findings.

Governor Kathy Hochul also backed the decision, saying: “We have a responsibility to ensure that rapidly-changing technology supports our children and their learning, rather than getting in the way of it.”

The policy will be closely watched across the U.S. as New York operates the largest public school system in the country.

Source: Channels news