Google ties school Search access to Gemini opt-in

Google framed the change as giving schools more control, noting that Gemini, Gemini Notebook, and Search will be off by default for K-12 accounts. The company said it had listened to educators who asked for more control over AI use and wanted to address concerns about students using AI to shortcut schoolwork. Yet the coupling of Search access to AI opt-in turned what Google presented as a choice into a flashpoint. Critics seized on the announcement, made on a busy Election Day, to revive antitrust arguments against the company. For schools, the practical stakes are high: millions of students are required to use Chromebooks and Google education tools, so switching to a different search engine is not a simple fix. Google's planned Guided Learning tool may offer a middle path, but the backlash suggests the decision has already become a test of how much control a dominant platform should have over classroom tools.