Governments Move to Set Limits on Children's Use of AI in Schools

Generative artificial intelligence is now reaching children through both the classroom and the internet, and governments and schools are attempting to protect young users while preparing them for a technology expected to become increasingly necessary. The debate has intensified as the United Nations calls for stricter child-safety rules and several European countries define when and how students may use AI in schools.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, speaking at the opening of the Global Dialogue on AI Governance in Geneva, warned that AI is reaching children faster than safeguards can be put in place. He noted that toys are tested before reaching children, yet AI has reached their learning, friendships and most private questions before anyone asked what it would do to them. He said children are already being deceived by machines posing as friends, steered toward self-harm, and harmed by abuse imagery.

National policy is beginning to reflect this concern. Norway announced guidelines in June that would strictly limit generative AI in schools: pupils in grades one to seven will generally not be given access from the autumn term, students in grades eight to 10 may use it gradually once teachers are sufficiently competent, and upper secondary students are expected to learn appropriate use. France issued a framework in 2025 permitting AI in class only from roughly eighth grade, and only when its use is limited, supervised and guided by a teacher.

The concern extends to what AI may take away from learning. Norway framed its restrictions as an effort to restore basic reading, writing and numeracy after years of heavy reliance on screens. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, 72 percent of lower secondary teachers believe AI can harm academic integrity, and some educators argue for handwritten work in lower grades and closer attention to how students reach their answers.

• Media researcher Annekatrin Bock argues that AI belongs in schools but must be introduced in an age-appropriate, pedagogically grounded way, warning that outright bans would push students to explore it privately and without guidance.
• Guterres called for an AI Child Safety Pledge requiring child-specific testing, independent oversight, zero tolerance for sexual abuse material, and systems that connect a distressed child to real human support rather than leaving them alone.

The original reporting is by Xinhua and is available at english.news.cn.