Electric bikes for kids, are they too dangerous?

[KellyK2026]

Electric bikes for kids, what do we think?

I’ve seen quite a lot of little ones riding around on electric bikes and, honestly, it looks so blooming dangerous. Now I’m talking kids under the age of ten flying up and down roads (sometimes pavements) at speeds that, as a grown adult, I wouldn’t feel comfortable going at. I wonder what makes parents think they are a good idea, or am I missing something?

E-bikes for adults, used safely and legally can be fantastic.

Kids on ebikes, illegal ebikes - nothing but trouble.

Why would they even need an e bike. Surely they dont go that far by bike.

11 year old round by me broke his femur falling off an illegally modded e-bike. And his parents are still claiming on Facebook that he's a little angel 🙄

You have to be 14 to ride one

If the bike moves without having to pedal at all, and goes above 4mph, it's classed as a motorbike needing license, insurance etc. Totally illegal for a child.

An 11 year old boy was riding an e-bike down my road at considerable speed, hit a pot hole, his leg somehow got stuck in part of the bike and his leg was cut down to the bone across the back of his ankle. I literally sat with him waiting for an ambulance whilst he screamed and cried in extreme pain for his mum. She turned up, didn’t give a shit, just laughed at him, and told me he’d only just got out of plaster a week or so before, after breaking his leg from a previous accident on his e-bike. They are not safe for children at all. And they’re always given to kids who lack common sense and by parents who are thick as shit.

That’s interesting. There was a 4 year old riding one a motorised bike down a road near me (very dangerously, I should add). I was really surprised that they made such little motorised bikes. Obviously bought illegally then.

There’s a small child who uses a motorised one in our local park. Visually it looks like a mini motorbike. He’s accompanied by his dad who is on an electric scooter. Every time I see them, I judge the father. There’s no way you care about your child’s safety if you allow them to use one of these things. Even with a helmet if he comes off at speed, the injuries are going to be substantial.

Why would a child need one even if they were able to ride them legally? I think electric bikes can be useful to keep older people cycling for longer once they find hills harder to manage but, unless they've got a health problem, most younger people probably don't need them.

Like this - from age 3 apparently. Does 3km per hr. Not a chance in hell one of my children would be on one of these.

3km is less than walking speed at least.

kids motorcycles do exist but for those who ride off road eg trial bikes. You need full protective clothing too, leathers, padding etc.

Ebikes are not motor bikes just electric bikes our 7 year old has one for just around the garden and our property - great fun but not allowed on public roads and footpaths.

You have to be at least 14 to ride a legal e-bike. E-motorbikes (which are often mistakenly called e-bikes on here and on most news outlets) are illegal to ride at any age on any public highway. I'm astonished that e-motorbikes are made in kid sizes, any parent who allows their kids to ride on one is recklessly irresponsible. I saw a couple of lads of about 9 years old riding their mini e-motorbikes recently, they were going ridiculously fast. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before they have a serious accident.

Yes, there’s a four year old that lives near me (I know his age because I knew his mother) and he was flying down this hill, on the pavement, on a motorised bike. If another kid had been on the pavement it could’ve seriously hurt them. There’s so many of them now that I just assumed they are legal as the police don’t seem to stop them.

These small motorised bikes are ostensibly designed for supervised kids’ sporting events that take place on private land. In reality, brain-dead parents allow their kids to ride them illegally on local roads and pavements. Retailers who sell them know these bikes will be dangerously misused but don’t give a shit about it.

I'd love a slow one (so the speed a child would actually ride a bike) for my 7yo who due to medical issues has very little stamina for bike riding. It would mean the freedom of a bike and keeping up with her peers, without it being too obvious.