Norway nearly – Norway has announced near restrictions on generative AI use for elementary students, with a partial allowance for older pupils and AI skills taught in upper secondary. The move lands amid growing global momentum—Poland plans “AI labs” for 12,000 schools, while
By the time the next school year begins in August, students in Norway’s classrooms will see a sharp line drawn around generative AI.
On June 19, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre announced a near ban on the use of generative AI by elementary school students. The government’s new guidelines, to be applied for the upcoming school year starting in August, spell out exactly how much AI pupils should be using based on age and grade.
Students in first through seventh grade—approximately ages 6–13—will be barred from using the technology at school. In lower secondary education, ages 14–16, students can use AI tools only with careful teacher supervision. For upper secondary students. ages 17–19. the plan shifts again: they will be taught how to use AI appropriately as they prepare to enter the workforce.
“The most important thing in school is that our children learn to read, write and do mathematics,” Støre said at a press conference. He added that “uncritical use of AI causes students to skip important learning steps.”
The Norwegian prime minister’s concern is now playing out in classrooms as governments try to decide what “learning” should look like when AI is always available. Norway’s argument isn’t built on speculation alone. A recent study by the Brookings Institution’s Center for Universal Education. using focus groups. interviews. and expert opinions. assessed generative AI’s impact on children and concluded that the risks outweigh the benefits.
The study found that when children turn to AI instead of honing their own thinking skills. they stunt their own cognitive growth and problem-solving abilities. The government’s stance also leans on the broader body of research that points to the negative effects of even short-term AI use on cognitive function among adults—an issue Norway is essentially treating as a warning sign for children.
Norway isn’t only restricting AI. Alongside the ban, the government announced plans to increase funding for physical books in classrooms, pushing back on a yearslong trend of embracing digital learning tools.
What happens next is likely to be less about the technology itself and more about how children are trained to use it—whether as a shortcut to answers or as a tool shaped by guided learning.
The policy contrast is striking. In the same period Norway is tightening access, Poland and the United Arab Emirates are moving in opposite directions.
Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk announced last week plans to equip 12. 000 primary and secondary schools with “AI labs” by the start of the next school year. Each lab is set to include. alongside laptops. a “central unit supporting AI services. network devices. an interactive display. a camera with a microphone and specialised software. ” according to the Polish government.
Speaking at a press conference. Tusk said students should learn to control AI “rather than it controlling you.” He added: “The most important task for the young generation will be not to underestimate the threats posed by artificial intelligence and to have a sense of sovereignty over the tools they use.”.
In the United Arab Emirates, AI is being mandated to curriculums as early as kindergarten. In 2025. the UAE’s Minister of Education Sarah Al Amiri told Semafor that AI learning would be incorporated in all public schools and some private schools. with approximately 20 lessons planned for each year of school through the 12th grade.
When addressing concerns about giving children too much access to technology, Al Amiri said, “Social media is a fact. The [use of] AI is a fact.” She framed the new curricular standards as a way to reengage students, saying: “I want it to be fun for them.”
Put side by side, the three approaches—Norway restricting access in early grades, Poland building AI labs at scale, and the UAE embedding AI from kindergarten—show how quickly education policy has become a battleground over cognitive development and control.
Norway’s move also fits into a broader push against children’s tech use beyond AI itself. In 2024. Norway banned smartphones from classrooms. and the country reported improved grades and mental health among students. particularly for young girls. Norway has also announced plans to ban social media usage for children under age 16. following an example set by Australia’s recent ban.
Age verification for social media is expanding too. with countries including the United Kingdom working to keep children off inappropriate platforms. But those systems. the story notes. still leave loopholes: there are reports of children bypassing filters with drawn-on mustaches and other disguises.
For parents and educators, the unanswered question is the same across borders: if AI is now part of daily life, how do schools teach children to keep their own learning intact—without leaving them unprepared for the workforce they’re being trained to reach?
Norway Jonas Gahr Støre generative AI education policy elementary school lower secondary upper secondary Brookings Institution Center for Universal Education Poland AI labs Donald Tusk United Arab Emirates Sarah Al Amiri Semafor smartphone ban social media restrictions children and technology