Norway To Ban AI for Elementary School Pupils

Norway's government announced that, as a general rule, generative AI tools will be barred for pupils aged 6 to 13, the country’s prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, said.

This is a part of a broader effort to protect foundational learning as the country grapples with a broad decline in education test scores.

The prime minister said, "The most important thing in school is that our children learn to read, write, and do mathematics," adding that the new standards take effect when the school year begins in late August.

The government said on June 19 that pupils in grades 1 to 7 should in general not be given access to artificial intelligence, according to its press release. The recommendations are to take effect from the start of the new school year, and the Education Directorate is to publish them before classes begin.

Why Oslo Is Acting

The announcement comes days after Norway's national audit office, the Office of the Auditor General, concluded that the school system has not done well enough at giving pupils better basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics, according to the government. Repeated international surveys such as PISA and PIRLS show steep falls in Norwegian pupils' basic skills, and one in four Norwegian pupils reads below the OECD's minimum level for further education and work.

Education Minister Kari Nessa Nordtun said younger pupils lack the knowledge, critical reflection and self-regulation needed to use AI well. Children, she said, must learn to read, write, calculate and think for themselves. Støre added that uncritical use of generative AI increases the risk of children skipping important steps in learning.

A Third Tech Restriction in Two Years

The AI policy follows a 2024 smartphone ban in schools, which also restored teachers' disciplinary powers, and an announcement earlier this year of planned legislation to bar children from social media until age 16.

Norway had been an early adopter of classroom computers in the 1990s and tablets after 2010.

Other governments are weighing similar limits on children's screen use. Clash Report has covered the UK's social media ban for minors and France's teenage social media ban, which has fed calls for an EU-wide clampdown.

Tiered Access by Age

Students in lower secondary school, ages 14 to 16, may "cautiously adopt" AI tools under teacher supervision, according to the new policy.

Those in upper secondary education, ages 17 to 19, are expected to learn appropriate use of AI to prepare for further education and work.

Pupils who need AI-based tools for various reasons will still be able to use them, Nordtun said, and the directorate has been asked to examine exceptions to the main rules. Good AI, used well, can promote learning in some situations, such as language teaching and individually adapted instruction, she added.

Teachers and Textbooks

The directorate's work includes describing the competence teachers need to use AI appropriately in the classroom. The government says research shows it is very difficult to use AI in teaching in a way that secures and strengthens learning.

In a related move, the government said it will propose legislation funding increased use of physical books in classrooms, reversing the shift toward tablets.

The government plans to enshrine in law that primary and lower secondary schools must have access to printed teaching materials, because many teachers say they cannot in practice choose between printed and digital materials. Ministers say they have set aside more than 500 million kroner for physical textbooks since taking office in 2021, but that it is not enough. See also: French Top Court Blocks Under-15 Social Media Ban Over Free Speech.