Australian ministers agree to restrict generative AI in schools
Education ministers will limit generative AI in primary schools and in secondary assessments. Each state and territory will decide how. A new taskforce will advise on screen use next year.
Australia's education ministers have agreed to restrict pupils' use of generative AI in primary schools and in secondary school assessments. They published the decision on 5 November 2026.
The communique from their meeting on 2 November says ministers will also "introduce, trial or consider" limits on screen use in schools. States, territories and school sectors will decide how to apply these measures. The communique sets no national limit on screen hours. It does not say which uses of AI count as restricted.
I’m not talking about burning iPads. But I am talking about dialling it back.
A new Australian Schools Digital Detox Taskforce, led by an independent expert, will advise ministers. Jason Clare, the federal education minister, said in a speech on 5 November that it will survey students, teachers and parents and advise on further action next year. He said there is "a bit of evidence" that AI can undermine children's thinking skills.
Reports differ on how far the limits go. CathNews, summarising The Australian, said primary pupils will be blocked from generative AI in class. The communique uses the word "restrict" and leaves the detail to each state. ABC News quoted Clare describing a digital detox that restricts screen time and AI.
National tests will change too. The Year 5 writing test in NAPLAN, Australia's national assessment, will return to handwriting in 2028, subject to advice on feasibility and cost. In September, more than 85 experts and organisations asked governments to look at how screens are used in school, not only for how long.
For teachers and parents in Australia, the practical rules will come from each state or school sector. Victoria has already said that pupils in Years 3 to 6 will spend at most 90 minutes a day on screens from 2027. The communique does not name the taskforce's leader. It also does not say when each state will act.
Sources
- Education Ministers Meeting, published by Jason Clare MP Communique: Education Ministers Meeting, Monday 2 November 2026
- Jason Clare MP Speech: Making It Count, Address to the McKell Institute
- ABC News Ministers agree to huge school system shake-up and antisemitism plan
- CathNews, summarising The Australian Schools to ban generative AI in classrooms
- University of Wollongong Researchers warn 'digital detox' in schools may do more harm than good
- The Educator Australia rethinks classroom screen time as scores slide