The Connecticut Children's Emergency Department treated more than 120 children for injuries related to using electric mobility devices, like e-scooters and e-bikes in May, June and July.
“That’s huge,” said Amy Watkins, manager at Connecticut Children’s Injury Prevention Center. “In 2024, it was like, 30 or something. It’s so much bigger of a problem than it’s ever been.”
Watkins said boys aged 9 to 13, are injured the most when it comes to electronic mobility devices .
Children in that age group should not even be riding e-scooters or e-bikes, according to The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The AAP recommends kids be at least 16 years-old before riding those devices .
Watkins said if parents or guardians do allow younger children access to these electronic devices, they should be supervised, away from traffic and be wearing safety equipment like helmets.
But not all helmets work in every situation, according to Watkins
“The helmet should be rated for the speed of the device,” Watkins said. “If this device goes 20 miles or more, they should be looking into something more than just a bike helmet,” said Watkins.
She said parents or guardians should shop for helmets with e-bike certification ratings and it’s important to make sure the helmet has been tested for the speeds the child may reach on the device.
The tiny wheels can get “caught up on bumps and potholes and debris very easily and cause a high speed loss of control,” Watkins said. “The more speed you have, the more severe that injury is going to be when you hit the ground.”
Watkins said head injuries from using e-bikes and e-scooters were most common this summer, and most of those injuries happened in kids who were not wearing helmets.
Under Connecticut state law, anyone under 18 years-old is required to wear a helmet when riding an e-bike or e-scooter.
If a child is riding an e-scooter, additional safety equipment is also needed, Watkins said, like wrist, elbow and knee pads.
“Those are the areas where you’re going to brace yourself if you fall and road rash can be extremely severe and cause the need for skin grafts”, Watkins said.
Watkins said Connecticut Children’s is not anti e-bike or e-scooter but they want parents to be aware that younger teens and children are not always ready to ride e-power devices.
“They don’t judge the speed of traffic very well, they’re not good at predicting vehicle behavior,” Watkins added. “They have a disadvantage right off the bat because they don’t have the same brain development level as an adult.”
