Dutch MPs back motion to ban generative AI in primary schools as state secretary asks for time

The motion and its backing

A majority of 88 of the 150 seats in the Tweede Kamer backs a motion from Volt and the CDA that asks the cabinet to add a ban on generative AI for primary school pupils to its Regieplan Digitalisering, the framework that sets the course for digitising education. According to NOS and Trouw, ten parties back the ban, among them PRO, D66, PvdD, DENK, 50PLUS, SP, ChristenUnie and JA21. Volt politician Laurens Dassen, who submitted the motion, argues that tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot and Claude can disrupt critical thinking, creativity and imagination in young children, abilities that pupils largely develop in primary school. Trouw reported late on Thursday, 29 October, that the motion had been adopted by a wide margin, although earlier reports from the same day had said the vote would take place on Tuesday, 3 November.

What the ban would cover

The ban applies only to teaching basic skills, according to Gelderlander and Het Parool. Teachers could still use AI to enrich the learning environment, but pupils would have to write texts and solve sums without any tools. Volt and the CDA want children to become digitally literate and to learn to read, write and calculate before they use AI. Dassen said generative AI widens learning gaps and that the parties must act on this now. The PO-Raad cites research suggesting that heavy use of generative AI by pupils goes with a fall in learning yield. Under new guidelines on lesson content, pupils must also learn to interact responsibly with an AI system and to recognise and describe artificial intelligence.

The state secretary's response

State secretary for education Judith Tielen (VVD) did not go along with the motion during a budget debate in the Tweede Kamer on Thursday evening, 29 October. She asked Dassen to wait until her own digitalisation plan was finished, and he refused. Tielen then advised the chamber to vote against the motion, because she wanted to proceed with more care herself. In the debate she said:

“I understand the concern very much. But to put it this firmly, I really need a bit more time for that.”

Her position is at odds with the wish of the majority, which has already backed the motion by a clear margin.

Primary education reaction

The PO-Raad, the sector body for primary education, says it understands the worries of politicians and agrees that something must happen. It describes a possible total ban as coming out of the blue, and it wants to reach good agreements with the ministry and experts first. CDA member Etkin Armut said books remain the basis of learning and added:

“Generative AI adds nothing for primary school pupils, as far as we are concerned.”

Armut said digital literacy matters, but that AI should be used only in a way that supports learning.

What comes next

The motion asks the cabinet to include the ban in its digitalisation framework, so it carries no legal force on its own. Tielen's own digitalisation plan is still in preparation, and she asked the chamber to wait for it before voting. The PO-Raad is seeking talks with the ministry and experts on agreements about AI use in classrooms. Reports from Thursday evening agree that the chamber backed the motion, while the exact date of the vote remained unclear across sources.