Keeping up when you’re the only one not allowed to have an e bike ?
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Anonymous
| My 7 year old is allowed around about a quarter to half mile loop in our neighborhood. He can walk to about six or seven friends homes in this radius- kids he knows from school and sports. A handful of his friends come from further in the neighborhood and they all have e bikes and e scooters that go anywhere from 8-25mph. He has a basic mountain bike. This is a pretty hilly neighborhood with a lot of blind turns and greenbelt. I don’t think he’s ready for an e bike or scooter. I am worried even on the regular bike with cars speeding around. I feel like he has a decent amount of freedom as it is. Anyone dealing with navigating this? There’s only 2 other friends that don’t have electronic bikes or scooters and it turns into a situation every day where he physically can’t really keep up. They will wait for him or play at a kids house too so no one is being mean about it but what solution do you have and has anyone’s else’s kid design with this? |
Anonymous
| Are these kids his age? Just want to say yikes - that is not safe for kids or healthy. They should be doing this stuff for exercise. They're not an adult trying to commute to work. |
Anonymous
| That all sounds incredibly dangerous. |
Anonymous
| Seven year olds on electric vehicles that go up to 25 mph? You have to be 14 in Virginia https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title46.2/chapter8/section46.2-908.1/#:~:text=No%20person%20less%20than%2014,at%20least%2018%20years%20old. |
Anonymous
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/30/magazine/e-bikes-accidents-safety-legislation-california.html |
Anonymous
| The neighbor kids should be on traditional bikes. E-bikes are for older teens and adults. Stick to your guns, OP. |
Anonymous
Yes! They are all 7-8 (2nd grade). There’s two main roads that are busier in the neighborhood and then various quiet loops. We live on a main road so he’s allowed around our loop but not allowed to cross the main road and explorer outside the loop with various culdesacs etc. |
Anonymous
| Pfft. We would not allow 16 year old on an e-bike. Good way to get killed. |
Anonymous
+1. We don't play "keep up with the Jonses". We do "arrive alive". |
Anonymous
| Stick to your guns, OP. It sounds like your kid has an appropriate radius and mode of transportation. |
Anonymous
|
My kids are grown now, so we didn’t have to worry about it, but if they were still young there is no way we’d let them have e-bikes.
Here’s a video that an ER pediatrician made before Christmas about the 5 most dangerous gifts to avoid, and e-bikes topped the list. |
Anonymous
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Seven year old on e-bikes is insane.
I've noticed this same divide in my neighborhood, but its among middle school boys, and it seems many middle school parents are holding strong, because there are groups of boys riding bikes and other groups riding e-bikes. Our kids are in middle school and we are sticking to regular bikes. |
Anonymous
forgot to add - our reasoning is both safety and exercise. |
Anonymous
I was thinking precisely about Dr. Beachgem. My own Dad was a pediatrician and I remember being grouchy as a kid because he didn't allow fireworks and trampolines. But he was using his personal experience to keep us safe. |
Anonymous
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I honestly think some parents make poor decisions and other parents copy them thinking well if they allow it, it must be okay. I've told my kids they are allowed to make their own dumb decisions when they are independent and live out of my house.
E bikes are a terrible idea. I see swarms of kids on them in my neighborhood and not obeying traffic laws. |