AI largely to be banned in NYC elementary and middle schools

About 600,000 students in the city’s schools will not be allowed to use AI until they enter high school. Pictured is a high school class in New York.

PHOTO: SARA MESSINGER/NYTIMES

Published Sep 06, 2026, 11:16 AM

Updated Sep 06, 2026, 11:16 AM

New York City will ban AI use for elementary and middle-school students, allowing it only in specific cases for high schoolers, and will limit screen time and chatbot use.

The policy aims to protect children’s human connection, creativity and curiosity by restricting technology in classrooms, responding to parental concerns about AI’s impact on learning.

Teachers can use AI for certain tasks but cannot rely on it for grading or critical decisions; some exceptions apply for approved programmes and support for special needs students.

NEW YORK – When New York City public schoolchildren return to the classroom in the week of Sept 7, younger students will be barred from using artificial intelligence. No individual screens will be allowed until third grade. And teachers will not be able to ask AI to grade assignments.

Those rules on technology use are part of a sweeping new policy announced on Sept 2 by the city’s Department of Education that will place strict limits on digital devices and AI tools in the city’s school system – the nation’s largest – particularly for its elementary and middle-school students.

AI/artificial intelligence

纽约市约有60万名中小学生在进入高中之前将被禁止使用人工智能。图为纽约市一所高中的课堂。

照片：萨拉·梅辛格/纽约时报

发布于 2026 年 9 月 6 日上午 11:16

更新于2026年9月6日上午11:16

纽约市将禁止小学和初中学生使用人工智能，只允许高中生在特定情况下使用，并将限制屏幕时间和聊天机器人的使用。

该政策旨在通过限制课堂上的技术来保护儿童的人际关系、创造力和好奇心，以回应家长对人工智能对学习影响的担忧。

教师可以使用人工智能完成某些任务，但不能依赖人工智能进行评分或做出关键决策；对于经批准的项目和对有特殊需要的学生的支持，则有一些例外情况。

纽约——纽约市公立学校学生将于9月7日当周重返课堂，低年级学生将被禁止使用人工智能。三年级及以下学生不得使用个人屏幕。教师也不能让人工智能批改作业。

这些关于技术使用的规定是该市教育局于 9 月 2 日宣布的一项全面新政策的一部分，该政策将对该市学校系统（全国最大的学校系统）中的数字设备和人工智能工具施加严格限制，特别是针对该市的小学和初中学生。

人工智能