The nation's two largest public school systems are severely restricting artificial intelligence. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a one-year classroom AI ban for students in grades 2-K through eighth grade. Following this, the Los Angeles Unified School District barred all students from using generative AI on district devices. Driven by parental pushback against excessive screen time, these policies represent some of the most aggressive technological restrictions in U.S. education.
NYC AI classroom ban
- ▪The New York City Department of Education policy bars teachers from using artificial intelligence tools to grade assignments and bans companionship and mental support chatbots in all grades
- ▪New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a one-year moratorium banning public school students from using artificial intelligence in classrooms from 2-K through eighth grade for the 2026-2027 school year
LA AI classroom ban
- ▪The Los Angeles Unified School District artificial intelligence restrictions will apply for the current school year while a board committee considers how to potentially incorporate the technology in the future
- ▪The Los Angeles Unified School District announced a policy during a board committee hearing on September 2, 2026, to bar students from using generative artificial intelligence tools on district devices
Parent-driven technology pushback
- ▪New York City district leaders described their classroom artificial intelligence moratorium as one of the most restrictive in the United States, noting that Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands have implemented nationwide changes
- ▪The artificial intelligence restrictions in New York City and Los Angeles public schools respond to a parent-driven movement pushing back against the incursion of technology and screens into childhood
Grade-level AI restrictions
- ▪Under the New York City policy, high school students are permitted to use artificial intelligence only in specific instances, such as computer science programs, or through approved tools for students with disabilities and multilingual students
- ▪Under the Los Angeles Unified School District policy, students may see artificial intelligence summaries on top of Google searches but are barred from engaging with Google's Gemini chatbot within those searches
Screen time device limits
- ▪The New York City Department of Education banned individual screens until third grade and issued recommended screen time limits, including a maximum of 45 minutes per day for middle schoolers
- ▪The Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education previously barred cellphone use during the school day and strictly limited the hours per day students could spend on laptops
AI literacy education programs
- ▪New York City high school students will be offered artificial intelligence literacy classes twice a year to help them think critically before relying on the technology
- ▪New York City is launching a limited artificial intelligence pilot program in up to five classes across a small number of high schools, using vetted tools including Quill, Edia, Brisk Teaching, Playlab, and Intel AI-Ready Schools
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