A growing number of parents and child development experts are pushing back against the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence in U.S. classrooms, calling for moratoriums on student-facing tools while big tech and the Trump administration continue to urge schools to embrace the technology. The pushback includes organized petitions, advocacy group statements, and a city council letter demanding a two-year pause, all fueled by concerns that there is little evidence AI helps children learn and that it may harm cognitive development.
Parent-led pushback gains momentum
In New York City, Kelly Clancy founded Parents for AI Caution in Educational Spaces after her sixth-grade son was asked to use Google Gemini for feedback on a science experiment. She told the teacher the bot "is something that just teaches kids that they can have machines do the thinking for them." The group is pushing for a two-year moratorium on AI in the city's public schools.
In Bend, Oregon, more than 1,100 parents signed a petition in February asking the local school district to remove generative AI from students' devices. National advocacy group Fairplay followed in April with a statement calling for a five-year moratorium on "student-facing generative AI products" from preschool through 12th grade. These actions reflect a broader unease among families about how ed tech companies are shaping classroom practice.
The industry push and its claims
Tech companies and the administration have made AI in schools a priority. First Lady Melania Trump convened a White House summit on educational technology in March, advocating for children to learn from a "humanoid educator named 'Plato'." Microsoft, OpenAI, and Anthropic have provided millions of dollars for AI training to the American Federation of Teachers, the country's second-largest teachers' union, according to the Associated Press.
A recent NPR/Ipsos survey found that 40% of K-12 teachers say their students use AI in the classroom at least once a week. Platforms like MagicSchool, which has contracts with districts in Atlanta, Denver, New York City, and Seattle, offer character chatbots and writing feedback tools. Amanda Bickerstaff, CEO of AI for Education, which provides AI for Education literacy training, argued that generative AI can help students connect historical events to their own lives: "Take this historical moment and provide a correlate in my life today … can be a way to take something that is hard to understand and put it into a frame in which a young person can find more ways to get into that content."
The evidence - or lack of it
Neuroscience and education experts warn that AI can cause cognitive off-loading, where students use external tools to avoid mental effort. A 2025 study in the journal Societies found that people aged 17 to 25 "exhibited higher dependence on AI tools and lower critical thinking scores compared to older participants." Stanford University reported in March that there is little evidence on how AI affects K-12 education and that it's unclear whether AI is "helping students complete tasks or helping them develop durable learning and skills."
Jared Cooney Horvath, a neuroscientist who has linked declining test scores to increased screen time, said, "The tool an expert uses to make his or her life easier is not the tool a novice could use to learn how to become an expert. When they use the same tool, they don't learn anything." He added that assistive technologies for students with disabilities, such as text-to-speech, have existed for decades without generative AI. "AI is now being confused with tech writ large without remembering that AI is basically brand new," Horvath said.
A shift in policy and practice
After Bend parents raised concerns about students forming bonds with MagicSchool's chatbot Raina, the company removed the persona and replaced it with "a neutral AI learning assistant." The school board adopted a resolution to develop grade-level standards for educational technology and remove non-evidence-based applications. In May, the American Federation of Teachers called for removing any student-facing AI tools from elementary schools, despite accepting funding from tech companies.
In New York City, more than half of city council members issued a public letter calling for a two-year moratorium on AI use in schools, except for education on the technology's risks. The city also scrapped a plan to open an AI-focused high school after public outcry. A school district spokesperson said, "The prior administration hit the gas on AI without genuine family engagement. That is not the approach Chancellor Samuels will be taking."
Bickerstaff opposes a full moratorium, arguing that students need AI Learning Path for Teachers to understand the tools' limitations and engage critically. "There is no way to stop student use," she said. But parent Natalie Houston countered that AI is "designed to be intuitive and easily learned," so schools should focus on foundational academic skills instead.
Why this matters for education professionals
Educators are caught between pressure to adopt AI tools and mounting evidence that they may not help - and could hinder - student learning. The growing parent activism and policy shifts signal that schools will need to justify any student-facing AI with clear evidence of benefit, not vendor promises. Professionals who build AI literacy into their own practice while remaining skeptical of unproven products will be better positioned to navigate district decisions and community concerns.
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