Norway imposes broad restrictions on AI for elementary school kids

Norway is imposing a strict ban on the use of generative AI tools by elementary school kids, according to a report by Reuters. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere suggested at a press conference that AI lets children skip crucial steps in their education and that schools should focus on teaching them how to "read, write and do mathematics."

These standards will be imposed at the start of the new school year, which begins in late August. The ban impacts students from first through seventh grade, ages six to 13. However, the policy also extends to teens, albeit in a reduced fashion. Kids aged 14 to 16 can use generative AI, but only with a teacher's supervision. Teens 17 and above are encouraged to use AI appropriately on their own.

This isn't the first move Norway has made to remove tech from classrooms. The country banned smartphones from schools back in 2024, which has proven to be a success. It led to a reduction in bullying, better grades and a significant decrease in the number of visits to psychologists for mental health issues. These results were especially potent with girls.

Norway is also planning a social media ban for all children under 16, which is similar to how Australia handles things. A bill will be introduced to parliament by the end of the year.

The US has also been slowly making moves to limit the amount of time kids can spend with AI chatbots. The Senate and the House have been discussing a bill that would require AI companies to implement an age-verification process and ban them from providing chatbots to minors.

The so-called Guidelines for User Age-verification and Responsible Dialogue Act, or GUARD Act, advanced past the US Senate Judiciary Committee but has yet to be voted on. The language of the bill did soften last month. When originally proposed, it was aimed at nearly every AI-powered chatbot. Now, it just refers to "AI companions", which potentially means that products like ChatGPT, Gemini and CoPilot would be exempt. 

Critics of the legislation have suggested that the bill's narrower language could let companies exempt themselves if the chatbot function of their tools are deemed "incidental." After all, it's a fine-line between an "AI companion" and a "search tool" that someone happens to talk to 24/7.