09.03.2026

0:00Hello, parents. As you brave the excitement and chaos of back to school, remember that now is the perfect time to start maximizing your kids' math skills, ramping up their reading or helping them slay science. Make IXL their go-to. It's an online learning platform back by 75 scientific studies and trusted by 15 million K through 12 students in the U.S. alone. It's flexible and personalized and adding IXL to the school day research shows adds to test scores. Make an impact on your child's learning. Get IXL now. Kid news listeners can get 20% off IXL memberships when they sign up today at IXL.com-Kidnews. That's IXL.com-Kidnews for the most effective learning program out there at the best price. Good morning and welcome to Kidnews. I'm Kim, today is Thursday, September 3, 2026. And we begin with a major reckoning for the use of AI in the classroom.

1:02Yesterday, New York City, the largest school district in the country, announced a sweeping ban on artificial intelligence for all students through 9th grade. High schoolers aren't impacted by the ban but will be offered twice yearly AI literacy classes to help them think critically about the technology before they start to rely on it. Students are also on the hit list. They won't be allowed at all until 3rd grade and screen use for middle schools will be no more than 45 minutes a day. Companion chatbots are banned in all grades. New York City Mayor Momdani supports the changes saying kids need teachers and human connection in order to learn and grow. They need to wrestle with tough problems on their own. School starts in the big apple next week. An American aircraft carrier that's as long as 3 football fields is finally in port. 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln spent at least 264 continuous days

2:02at sea with outstanding foot on dry land before anchoring in Thailand Tuesday for some R&R. No US ship has ever sailed that long without docking. The next stop will likely be a rocket homecoming to its base in San Diego sometime in late September or early October. A slow moving big wave is making its way to California. Meteorologists say sea levels along the coast will rise by a foot as soon as late September due to El Nino. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the so-called Kelvin wave is a planetary scale process caused by changes in water temperature and wind at the equator. It's not a wave you can surf, says Dylan Amaya, a Marine science professor at North Carolina State University, but our instruments will see it as it passes. He says the wave can affect marine life as mammals like whales move around in search of colder water and that high tides predicted around the holidays could break water level records even without a storm.

3:06She looks like Serena, hits like Serena, and now like Serena, she's played on the big stage. Sophia Froden was the body double for actor Demi Singleton who played Serena Williams in the movie King Richard about the tennis phoenix rise to fame. Now she's the star of her own real life movie as the 17-year-old played her first US Open Singles match Tuesday losing in a respectable two sets to Elena Rebachina, the number two player in the world. Years before, her tennis talent is what got her an invite to audition for the movie in the first place. To be able to play the double or role of somebody that I look up to and I have been inspired by was truly a very special experience for me, Thea told the Associated Press. Her biggest challenge, switching back to her own strokes after mimicking Serena's for so long. Thea says she does not yet know what her tennis future looks like after high school, but adds if Hollywood comes calling, she'd be interested.

4:06But 2026 Fat Marmot Week contest has a champion. Don, a six-year-old 13.2-pound ball of fur, scored victories across the board in both the mass gain and popular vote competitions. Julian Martin, co-founder of the Marmot Project, called Don one of the heaviest animals we've ever measured, really humongous for that species. According to the Guardian, more than 23,000 votes were cast during the contest between the eight yellow-bellied creatures, and donations of more than 100,000 were collected for Marmot research. The wayoff was modeled after Alaska's popular Fat Bear Week and was held during the summer when Marmot's fat enough in preparation for their long winter hibernation. Still ahead, no AI in the classroom, but what about AI in the bathroom? First, though, we want to wish a happy belated birthday to Diana Davis in West Seattle, who loves choir, piano, and dance, and who turned nine during an epic summer vacation to Iceland.

5:08Diana, your family loves how curious, witty, gregarious, and kind you are, and hopes you enjoy your last single-digit year. Now, today's kid news quiz, which major US school district is cracking down on AI in the classroom. New York City A big wave moving toward the California coast could raise sea levels by how much later this month. A foot. What is notable about the Afroden's appearance at the US Open? She was the body double for the star who played Serena Williams in the movie King Richard. What is the name of the champion of the first ever Fat Marmot Week? Dawn In today's kid news kicker, AI is coming for your toothbrush. Dyson, a company known for hair dryers and vacuums, says it's launched the camera jet,

6:12an artificial intelligence-powered electric toothbrush that doubles as a water pick. The company says the product uses a tiny camera to see your teeth and shoots mouthwash between them while you brush. The catch, according to the Guardian, the toothbrush costs $499 and users must brush with non-phomine toothpaste so the camera can see the teeth clearly. Thanks again to the Davis family of Seattle, Washington for sponsoring today's quiz, and belated happy birthday to Diana, and best wishes for a great first week of school at West Side. Now, shout-outs for our other kid news classrooms. Mrs. King's Bulldogs at Cardinal School in Brunsburg, Indiana. Mrs. Robert's Lions at Washington Irving in Durant, Oklahoma. Mrs. Hurley's Mustangs at Peabody Montessori in Alexandria, Louisiana. And Mrs. Diverse Panthers at Dennis School in Springboro, Ohio. Thanks for listening. Remember to rate, review, subscribe, and share kid news with all your friends and family.

7:16We'll see you back here for more kid news tomorrow morning.