New York City council members are pushing to restrict students’ access to YouTube in schools, extending the city’s broader debate over digital tools in the classroom. The proposal comes weeks after the city announced a ban on generative artificial intelligence for students from 2-K through eighth grade.
Shekar Krishnan, who chairs the Council’s Oversight and Investigations Committee, and Eric Dinowitz, chair of the Education Committee, said the move is aimed at addressing lower academic performance and complaints from parents and teachers. Their proposal would bar students from watching YouTube on their own devices during school hours and would require teachers to justify any classroom use of YouTube videos.
The lawmakers also want the city to ban gamified learning apps, eliminate individual digital devices for students from kindergarten through fifth grade, and return tests to paper and pencil. They are expected to formally present the proposal at a City Council oversight hearing scheduled for Monday.
The effort follows Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s earlier announcement that the city would block generative AI tools such as ChatGPT and Gemini for students in 2-K through eighth grade. The new push reflects growing concern among some New York officials about how much screen time students should have in school and how big technology platforms are shaping education.
[YTN]
