Purchasing an e-Bike or electric scooter for a child in 2026 is child neglect.
Exercise is critical for children. It develops healthy muscular, vascular and skeletal systems that build the body they will have for their entire lives. Their ability to build muscle, their vein diameter and the strength of their bones is directly related to the exercise they get during childhood. At a time when childhood obesity is so prevalent and children spend more time indoors than ever, eliminating the only exercise they may get by giving them an e-bike is harmful.
Secondly, e-bikes put too much power into the hands of children with undeveloped risk assessment and judgement making skills. Allowing children to operate electrified vehicles on the roadways puts them at extreme risk in our car-centric culture. Emergency visits to the hospital have jumped by 300 percent due to e-bike accidents, with 70 percent of those cases with children ages 13 to 18. Injuries from e-bike accidents are more similar to motor vehicle and motorcycle crashes than normal pedal bicycles. Children are 4x more likely to break bones on an e-bicycle versus a normal pedal bike.
If you or your family member are considering purchasing an e-bike or electric scooter for a child in your life, I recommend a pedal bicycle instead. If a child you know is already using one, I recommend it be replaced.
Abigail Nordstrom Macomb, Illinois
