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Ask HN: Norway bans AI in elementary schools

16 points · 14 visible top comments · 2026-06-25 23:24:59 UTC

news.ycombinator.com · Read Story HN original

What is your opinion on this? Norway banned smart phones and now AI.

> Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre argues that using AI could increase the risk that young children miss important steps in their education.

Comments

al_borland · 2026-06-25 23:39:31 UTC
It shocks me that anyone would be giving AI to elementary school kids, so I think this is good.
toomuchtodo · 2026-06-25 23:45:29 UTC
Excellent news for child health and development.
PaiDxng · 2026-06-26 01:41:56 UTC
Norway's approach can be seen as a "caution-first" policy choice, buying time for educational research and regulation to catch up with the technology.
JSR_FDED · 2026-06-26 01:52:40 UTC
Good, first develop empathy and social skills. Then critical thinking. Only then AI as an educational tool. Social media? Never.
jamesli233 · 2026-06-26 05:23:04 UTC
Really curious about how they actually ban it, like do they set a law against that behavior? Who is gonna to take the responsibility?Their parents?
kingkongjaffa · 2026-06-26 13:45:38 UTC
Presumably it's in schools so it's down to the teachers to confiscate devices and not use them in the first place as tools children drive.

I assume using AI to make teaching materials that teachers then disseminate is still fair game.

lemonademan · 2026-06-26 09:47:21 UTC
Their Prime Minister is right to ban the use of AI in elementary schools, as most people who use AI to answer questions don't focus on retaining a set answer but rather answering whatever question was asked. So yes, elementary school students will miss a lot of steps, but this is still just my own opinion. However, I am more interested in how AI was used in elementary schools in the first place.
penpendian · 2026-06-26 16:29:19 UTC
But maybe teacher can use ai to create customised storybook or material faster without always relying on human retail that take steps and weekss
mikeodds · 2026-06-27 12:39:40 UTC
This could be customized to each child, a primer if you will, you could call it “a young lady’s illustrated primer” for the girls
penpendian · 2026-06-27 14:33:46 UTC
well i am backtesting a pre-context engine written in typescript for storytelling, and so far i think the pdf and mp3 content is very good. Though i only limit it to certain writer style like jane austen or stan lee
journal · 2026-06-26 11:04:03 UTC
AI is a tool and you have to learn how to use it. You do that in a place called school. I guess, they're afraid kids will learn the truth. It must be to stun their growth as there's no other explanation. You wouldn't ban AI in math class because at that age there is no application. But if there is computer lab, or laptops, i don't see what the problem is except them finding out the truth. It's just protection from future competition by stunting their growth. Modern kids are so uneducated that AI would benefit them no matter how they continued to exist.
idbnstra · 2026-06-26 13:51:13 UTC
what's preventing them from "finding out the truth" outside of school?
ahmedehab_01 · 2026-06-27 02:04:38 UTC
Good, and should be banned worldwide for elementary school children. Either that or we get a generation of dumbasses with zero critical thinking skills.
alquinsmiles · 2026-06-27 03:16:46 UTC
Sweden sort of did the same thing with digital education/computers and reinvested in analog/books because students learned better with the latter.
VaderAi · 2026-06-27 03:54:48 UTC
That is a brilliant move when you think about it ...as students grow up having to use there brain for common sense as well..
VaderAi · 2026-06-27 06:16:27 UTC
Is that because most students were using ai glasses to answer exams
softwaredoug · 2026-06-27 18:22:12 UTC
Whatever debates we might have about AI in higher ed, is anyone actually advocating for AI in primary school? Seems self evident you would not want to do this. It’s so obvious elementary school is as much about social/emotional learning and you’re not going to get this from AI.
buynao · 2026-06-28 02:18:37 UTC
AI can instantly answer every question a child asks.

But what children truly need is the ten minutes spent being stumped by a question.