As Australia's education policymakers debate the use of AI in the nation's classrooms, Norway is cracking down on its elementary students from using the technology, with the country's PM warning that it increases the risk that young children skip important steps in their education.
In August, the Scandinavian country announced that students aged 6 to 13 will be discouraged from using AI as a general rule, while those in lower secondary school, aged 14 to 16, can cautiously use the technology so long as it's under teachers' supervision
"The most important thing in school is that our children learn to read, write and do mathematics," Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said at a press conference.
In upper secondary education, from ages 17 to 19, the new rules state that students should learn to use AI appropriately so that they are prepared for further education and work.
The restriction follows an earlier intervention in Norwegian classrooms.
Facing a broad decline in education test scores, the country's government in 2024 banned smartphones from schools and gave teachers back more powers to enforce discipline.
Research by economist Sara Abrahamsson, published in the Journal of Human Resources, found the ban reduced bullying, lowered psychological healthcare visits among girls, and improved girls' grades and math scores – effects concentrated among girls specifically.
Norway's government is seeking to introduce legislation to fund the use of more books in classrooms, reversing the trend toward computer tablets that began after the iPad's introduction in 2010. Separately, the government in April announced plans to ban children from using social media until they turn 16, following a trend pioneered by Australia and some other nations.
A widening international debate
Norway's move places it ahead of a debate now playing out in other school systems. New York City has since advanced its own restrictions on generative AI in schools, though the response there has been mixed. Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers, welcomed new screen-time limits but said the city's AI policy left open questions about vendor safeguards, according to Euronews. Josh Golin, executive director of the advocacy group Fairplay, argued that AI companies, not schools, should bear the burden of proving their products are safe.
New York's plan permits a narrow, closely supervised pilot for up to 50,000 students, while other high schoolers receive periodic AI literacy instruction, Euronews reported. Los Angeles Unified School District has taken a more temporary approach, blocking generative AI tools on student devices across all grades while it develops a permanent policy.
The European Union's AI Act classifies education as a "high-risk" category requiring transparency and oversight but does not impose an outright ban on classroom AI tools, according to Euronews' review of the regulation.
Enforcement questions remain
Coverage of Norway's policy has not detailed how schools will distinguish prohibited generative AI tools from software where AI functions are embedded in everyday classroom applications, nor what consequences apply for noncompliance.