Google Will Switch Off Search and Gemini by Default for K-12 School Accounts
School administrators will have to enable the products under a coming policy change, while Google expands Guided Learning tools.
Google plans to turn off access to Search and several Gemini products by default for K-12 student accounts, requiring school administrators to explicitly enable them.
The change covers Google Search, Gemini, Gemini Notebook and Gemini in Classroom. Google announced the policy Tuesday as part of a broader update to its education tools. It is not an immediate shutdown: the company says it will give schools more details in the coming months before the changes roll out.
In its announcement, Google said the goal is to let school leaders decide which AI products students can use. Bloomberg reported that schools enabling Search will also get the AI features built into it.
Google is also expanding Guided Learning, a tool designed to work through questions step by step rather than immediately supply a final answer.
Guided Learning in Google Classroom became available globally Tuesday for teacher-assigned activities. A separate Guided Learning pilot in Search is due to begin in selected U.S. schools later this month, with expansion planned after educator feedback.
The changes apply to school-managed K-12 student accounts, not a general shutdown of Google Search or Gemini for all users.