From conveniences to crises: E-bikes, teens and online culture 

Despite their benefits, e-bikes are becoming more dangerous in the hands of teenagers. Youth e-bike crashes and deaths are increasing rapidly, and pedestrians, particularly seniors, are paying the price. At a certain speed and weight, e-bikes stop behaving like bicycles and begin functioning like motorcycles, except children often handle them without training, licensing or meaningful enforcement. Unhelmeted riders speed on sidewalks, pop wheelies in traffic, and ignore basic road rules. We are witnessing a fully preventable trauma epidemic. 

E-bike related emergency room visits have surged across California, particularly among youth.

Head injuries from e-bike accidents rose 49-fold between 2017 and 2022. A recent Mineta Transportation Institute analysis found existing data systems often undercount or misclassify incidents, meaning the true scale of the problem is worse. In Marin County, public health dashboards show children ages 10-15 generate the highest risk of e-bike-related 911 calls.  

What makes this crisis especially dangerous is many of the most serious incidents aren’t even caused by standard, legal e-bikes. The Mineta report suggests that higher-powered, out-of-class devices marketed as e-bikes, but can be modified to exceed legal speed limits, are widely sold to minors. By doing so, kids not only deceive law enforcement but also their parents. 

Youth in California can legally operate devices capable of exceeding 20 mph on public roads and sidewalks, often before they are eligible to study for a learner’s permit. Why do schools teach driver’s education to teens preparing to drive cars, yet middle and high schoolers continue to weave powerful machines through traffic without instruction or oversight? 

The problem deepens when adolescence collides with the desire for speed, anonymity and social media. TikTok is flooded with videos glorifying reckless riding, tutorials on disguising illegal modifications and even tips on evading law enforcement. When dangerous behavior is rewarded with likes, views and praise, with comments cheering it on, online culture shapes adolescent behavior far more powerfully than any school assembly or safety pamphlet ever could. 

Yet we rarely ask teens why. Why does wearing a helmet feel optional or embarrassing? Why is speed so irresistible? Why do road rules feel irrelevant when they are rarely enforced? 

Policymakers talk endlessly about youth while overlooking the easiest thing: talking to them. Then, they act surprised when policies fail.  

If we want to reduce injuries, lectures won’t work; changing the culture and reaching youth more effectively will. Creative, peer-facing social media content highlighting the risks of unsafe practices, helmet effectiveness and firsthand stories from crash survivors could reshape norms. To reach teens, policymakers must think less like regulators and more like creators. 

But changing the culture alone isn’t enough. Accountability must follow.  

All youth under 18 must wear a helmet on an e-bike, and enforcement must be strengthened, whether through fines or citations issued to riders and parents. Parents must stop pretending these are “just bikes” and take responsibility for what they purchase. Manufacturers must face consequences for deceptive marketing and selling misleadingly classified devices to children.  

Mandatory e-bike education, modeled after driver’s ed, should be required before riding on public roads. Age and class restrictions must be clearly communicated and enforced through licensing or certification. Schools can take an active role by collaborating with local law enforcement.  

The Hillsborough schools superintendent partnered with town police to host workshops for parents and middle school students, covering e-bike classes, rules of the road, safety tips and illegal modifications. In Menlo Park, the school district banned students under 16 from bringing Class 2 or Class 3 e-bikes to campus. San Rafael implemented impoundment policies for youth who violate the Marin-specific ordinance that prohibits individuals under 16 from operating class 2 e-bikes. Schools could seize e-bikes misadvertised as a different class, sending a clear message that illegal bikes and dangerous modifications are unacceptable.  

E-bikes aren’t inherently perilous, but when powerful technology is given to youth without proper education, regulation or accountability, predictable harm follows. We do not need more silence, denial or injuries before adults step up and teenagers recognize that freedom comes with responsibility. 

Anya Dalal is a junior at Castilleja School, Hillsborough Youth Commission chair, and  California Association of Youth Commissions co-founder and chair.