No ChatGPT, AI ‘companions’ for pupils as parents raise mental-health fears
New York City is moving to keep artificial intelligence out of the hands of younger public school students, with pupils below the ninth grade set to face a sweeping ban on AI use.
Under the new rules, students from kindergarten through eighth grade will not be permitted to use AI tools in their schoolwork, according to a source familiar with the plan.
The restriction means pupils typically aged up to 13 will be shut out of popular AI tools, including chatbots capable of generating answers, writing assignments and holding human-like conversations.
The move follows mounting concerns from parents and teachers that excessive reliance on AI could affect children’s cognitive development and mental wellbeing.
AI-powered “companion” chatbots designed to provide emotional or psychological support will also be prohibited, according to reports.
For older students, AI will not exactly get a free pass.
From ninth grade, students may use the technology only for approved purposes, particularly learning about AI itself and understanding how the rapidly developing technology works.
Teachers, however, will still be allowed to use AI behind the scenes for tasks such as preparing lesson materials and drafting messages.
The planned restrictions have emerged after an earlier AI framework introduced by the city in March triggered an uproar among parents and teachers.
That framework used a traffic-light system to determine when AI could be used and allowed students to deploy the technology for research, exploration and creative projects.
Critics considered the approach far too relaxed.
Following the backlash, Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels acknowledged that school leaders had “missed the mark” in communicating the policy and promised that parents’ concerns would be carefully reviewed.
The city’s education department had already indicated that the March framework was only an initial step towards a broader set of rules.
A task force comprising teachers, elected officials, technology experts and union representatives is expected to help shape the city’s long-term AI policy, with a report due in April.
Another headache facing officials is enforcement.
With children able to access AI tools on smartphones, tablets and computers outside school, monitoring exactly when and how they use the technology could prove difficult.
The city has also recommended limiting classroom screen time to 45 minutes for middle-school students in sixth through eighth grades and 30 minutes for elementary pupils.
New York’s decision is being closely watched across the United States because its public school system is by far the country’s largest, serving more than 900,000 students during the 2024–2025 school year.
The new policy could therefore become a major test of how American schools deal with the explosive growth of artificial intelligence in education.
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