New York City bans AI use in public schools through the end of middle school. Starting with the new school year, roughly 600,000 students up through eighth grade can no longer use AI tools, the Department of Education announced.

Individual screens are off-limits through third grade, and so-called companion chatbots are banned at every grade level. For middle schoolers, the department recommends no more than 45 minutes of screen time a day. Teachers can still use AI to prep lessons, but not for grading.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the tech industry wants to frame AI education as inevitable, according to the New York Times. The city isn’t going along with that. Parent groups like Parents for AI Caution call the rules too weak and want a full two-year moratorium on AI in the classroom. Their worry is that kids might never develop independent thinking because they hand off reasoning to software. British researchers recently called this “cognitive surrender.”

A task force of teachers, politicians, experts, and union representatives will now put together a report by April 2027 that will serve as the basis for future AI policy in New York schools.