US records record number of book bans, with AI helping select titles
PEN America recorded 11,982 cases in the 2025-2026 school year.
Nearly 12,000 books were banned or restricted in American public schools during the past school year. According to PEN America, this is the highest number since the organisation began tracking the trend in 2021; school boards are increasingly using AI to select titles.
PEN America counted 11,982 cases in which books were removed from public schools or access to them was restricted. The count covers the 2025-2026 school year and includes 7,370 different titles. More than 4,500 titles appeared in the index for the first time.
The organisation recorded bans in 114 school districts. Fiction and young adult books made up the largest share of the works removed. According to PEN America, more than half of the cases concerned young adult books, and more than 90 per cent of that category consisted of fiction.
The subjects most often cited in objections were race, racism, sexuality and gender identity. The list included both recent literature and older titles, including Jane Eyre and the manga Tokyo Ghoul. According to the count, Stephen King was again the author whose books were removed most often.
The role of artificial intelligence is new to the report. PEN America writes that school districts are using AI systems to screen books for potentially problematic passages. The organisation warns that such systems may miss context, meaning schools could more quickly set aside broad categories of books.
The figures should nevertheless be read carefully. PEN America also counts temporary removals or restrictions. The American Library Association uses a different method and counted approximately 5,600 cases in its most recent report. The two organisations are therefore not measuring exactly the same thing.
The debate touches on two competing principles. Parents and conservative activist groups point to their responsibility to protect children from material they consider unsuitable. Supporters of free access to books fear that political pressure, unclear procedures and automated selection may instead deprive pupils of access to a range of perspectives.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- PEN America recorded 11,982 cases of removal or restriction.
- The count includes 7,370 different titles.
- PEN America reports that some school districts use AI when screening books.
Left
Arguments Schools should give pupils access to different voices and experiences. Removing books because of political pressure or automated keyword filters restricts education and may cause minority groups in particular to disappear from the school library.
Values Free access to knowledge, inclusion and intellectual freedom.
Consequences Broad bans can harm reading motivation and critical thinking and reinforce inequality.
Centre
Arguments Parents may object to material, but decisions should be transparent, open to periodic review and made by experts. AI can help identify passages, but it must not make an independent decision.
Values Care, parental involvement and professional responsibility.
Consequences A fixed procedure can safeguard both children's protection and access to literature.
Right
Arguments Parents and local school boards should retain broad authority over what minors can read at school. If schools consider material suitable for adults but not for children, they may set limits.
Values Parental authority, local democracy and the protection of minors.
Consequences Greater local control may reduce conflicts, but it also leads to major differences between school districts.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The figures and trends were checked directly against PEN America and AP. The methodological limitation of the count is explicitly included.
- confirmed PEN America counted 11,982 cases in the 2025-2026 school year. — This appears in PEN America's own index. source
- confirmed The count covered 7,370 different titles. — PEN America gives this figure as the number of unique titles. source
- confirmed AI is increasingly being used to select books. — AP describes this finding from the PEN America report. source
- confirmed The American Library Association uses a different method. — AP explains the difference between the two counts. source
Editor's note
The count comes from PEN America and uses a broad definition of a ban. The American Library Association's figures are not directly comparable; that difference is stated in the text.Sources
- A Spotlight on School Book Bans — PEN America
- PEN America: Nearly 12,000 school book bans in a year — Associated Press
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