New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Schools Chancellor Kamar H. Samuels have announced a one-year moratorium on student-facing generative AI in public schools, along with a new screen-time policy.
The moratorium will take effect during the 2026-27 school year and apply to students from 2-K through eighth grade, affecting nearly 600,000 children, or about two-thirds of the city’s public school enrollment.
Under the new policy, high school students will receive AI critical-thinking lessons twice a year, while limited AI pilot programs will be introduced in a small number of classrooms. The plan also includes age-appropriate restrictions on screen time.
Mamdani said children need teachers, peers and human interaction to develop essential skills and relationships. He rejected the idea that AI-powered education is inevitable or necessary, saying the city would use the year-long moratorium to study the technology’s impact on students before deciding future policies.
