New York City Bans Student Generative AI Through Eighth Grade and Caps Screen Time

New York City, the largest public school system in the United States, will impose a one-year moratorium on student-facing generative AI for children in 2-K through eighth grade and set new classroom screen-time limits, Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Schools Chancellor Kamar H. Samuels announced on September 2, 2026. City Hall called the rules the most expansive student-facing AI policy in the country. They will cover nearly 600,000 public school students — about two-thirds of enrollment — in the 2026-27 school year, as classes resume the following week.