STOCKS | New York City Schools Ban Generative AI for Younger Students

New York City schools will ban elementary and middle school students from using generative AI tools in the upcoming school year. According to Sina Finance, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the one-year pause will affect more than 600,000 students and give education officials time to study the technology's impact. The policy has drawn criticism from both sides of the debate over AI in education. Some critics say the city is taking away a valuable learning tool, while others argue the restrictions are not strict enough because students may still use city-approved instructional programs and high schools are largely excluded. Bree Dusseault, head and managing director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education at Arizona State University, said the policy appears reasonable for parents who want children to learn responsible AI use without becoming overly dependent on it. She said the temporary, limited pause represents a clear but flexible policy approach. According to Sina Finance, the city will also pilot AI literacy courses for high school students and test a limited number of AI education tools in supervised settings. Nicole Barnes, APA's executive chief psychologist for education, said the policies could work if the city tests tools with strong data privacy standards that help students learn and think critically rather than simply capture attention.