Overview
- The American Federation of Teachers unveiled a 10-point plan on Wednesday, May 27, that calls for a ban on classroom screens for pre-K through second grade and prohibitions on student-facing AI and so-called social companion chatbots for young students.
- The plan also seeks new national safety and privacy standards for AI in schools, an independent research consortium to study effects of screens and AI on students, and a proposed tax on big tech earnings to address harms.
- AFT leaders said Microsoft, OpenAI and Anthropic have 'agreed in principle' to the safety and privacy tenets the union is negotiating, though those companies have not endorsed the tax proposal.
- Local educators and districts gave mixed responses, with some supporting stricter limits to protect early learning and others urging balanced, teacher-led use of tools to preserve digital literacy and classroom flexibility.
- The proposals follow the AFT’s existing teacher-training partnerships with AI firms and a broader national discussion about youth screen time, and the union warned it may walk away from industry funding if enforceable guardrails are not met.