YouTube goes dark on NYC students’ school laptops and tablets
The Education Department blocked YouTube on school-issued devices starting Sept. 9. The only exception is lesson videos teachers post in Google Classroom.
New York City public school students can no longer watch YouTube on the Chromebooks and iPads their schools hand out, whether they are in class or at home. The Education Department turned on the block Sept. 9, one day before the first day of school.
Officials disclosed the change Tuesday at a City Council oversight hearing on technology in schools. “We heard everyone loud and clear,” said Scott Strickland, who serves as deputy chief information officer at the department. His testimony came a day after Council members Shekar Krishnan and Eric Dinowitz urged the department to limit the video platform and cut back other classroom tech.
What the YouTube restriction means for students and parents
A department spokesperson said there is one exception: videos a teacher posts in Google Classroom for a lesson. First Deputy Chancellor Danielle Giunta indicated that student access would be allowed only for narrow educational uses. Before now, schools had YouTube only when a principal requested it, Strickland told the Council at an earlier hearing this year. City officials said they will watch for trouble with the new rule, including any reports of students getting around it.
NYC school screen time limits by grade
The hearing took place two weeks after Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a wider technology policy for schools. Under that policy, students generally do not use screens on their own until third grade. It suggests screen time caps of 30 minutes for grades 3 through 5 and 45 minutes for grades 6 through 8. Generative AI tools aimed at students are off-limits from preschool through eighth grade.
Krishnan and Dinowitz argued that unrestricted YouTube is too easy for students to misuse. They said teachers should still be able to play clips connected to their lessons. Krishnan, a Council member from Queens, said he could not see how letting students watch the site for passive screen time served any educational purpose. He pointed out that Los Angeles public schools do not let students use YouTube on their own.
Dinowitz, who chairs the Council’s education committee and represents the northwest Bronx, called the ban “a good start” and said the city should do more. He wants gamified learning banned and research behind every digital tool. He also called for professional training for educators, a return to handwritten state tests and a stronger digital literacy curriculum.
Quick answers
When did NYC schools block YouTube for students?
The block started Sept. 9, one day before the first day of school.
Can NYC students watch YouTube on school devices at home?
No. Students can't open YouTube on school-issued Chromebooks or iPads, in class or at home.
Are there any exceptions to the NYC schools YouTube ban?
Only one. Students can watch videos a teacher posts in Google Classroom for a lesson.
