Norway, ban on generative AI in elementary schools starting next school year

Last Friday, the Norwegian government announced that starting next school year, which begins at the end of August, elementary school students will no longer be allowed to use generative AI. The ban applies to grades one through seven, covering the age group 6-13 years, making the general rule one of not using artificial intelligence tools.

The measure is gradual depending on age. Students in lower secondary school, aged 14 to 16, will only be able to use generative AI under the direct supervision of a teacher, while those in upper secondary school, aged 17 to 19, are actually encouraged to use it appropriately to prepare for university and the working world.

The restriction is motivated by concerns that automated tools may lead younger students to skip fundamental learning steps. "The most important thing at school is that our children learn to read, write, and do arithmetic," declared Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in the official announcement, noting that the use of AI increases the risk of children skipping essential learning steps in reading, writing, and mathematics.

Norway had already banned smartphones in schools in 2024 due to a general decline in academic performance, simultaneously giving teachers greater disciplinary powers.

Return to paper

On the same day, the government also presented a legislative proposal to fund greater use of printed books in classrooms, reversing the push towards digital tablets. This is a course correction on a long path: the country had begun adopting computers in classrooms in the 1990s and tablets after the arrival of the iPad in 2010, progressively reducing books and handwriting. In the subsequent years, it recorded a decline in the ability to read and write and in scores on school tests.

On the smartphone front, some data encourages Oslo to continue on this path: a study by researcher Sara Abrahamsson, conducted on over 400 Norwegian middle schools, found that the ban on phones reduced bullying, improved grades, and led to a decrease of about 60% in visits to psychology specialists, with particularly marked effects among girls.

A broader trend

The crackdown on AI fits into a larger movement. In April, the government announced its intention to ban social media for minors under 16 years of age, with a draft law expected in Parliament by the end of 2026, following the Australian ban effective December 2025.

Meanwhile, in the United States, the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously approved the GUARD Act, which would impose age verification for chatbots. However, the text has been narrowed to only apply to AI companions, chatbots that simulate ongoing interpersonal relationships, potentially excluding general-purpose tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot.

For Norwegian schools, the schedule is already set: the ban on AI will come into effect with the opening of the new school year at the end of August, while the social media draft law is expected in Parliament by December.