At What Age Is It Safe To Get Your Kid An Electric Bicycle? Here's What Experts Recommend

So you grew up on a bicycle, and you loved the freedom it gave you through your teen years. Now you've got kids of your own, and they're clamoring for their own two-wheeled conveyance — but with the prevalence of e-bikes, you might be wondering whether your kiddo should have one of those instead of a boring old acoustic bicycle. Well, experts say you might want to wait. 

The Consumer Product Safety Commission says kids under age 9 shouldn't ride motorized bikes at all, while kids from ages 9 to 12 can handle bikes that don't go faster than 10 miles per hour. New York City is even stricter, saying e-bikes can only be ridden by riders age 16 or over (though the city doesn't have a separate section for e-bikes under 10 mph). Those are the expert takes, but experts are only focused on safety. There's another angle worth considering: What are the cool kids doing? 

Unfortunately for the experts, we as human beings all find our own balance between safety and actually experiencing life — I know that as a kid I did some ill-advised things on the types of transportation that were available to me at the time, and I don't regret them. If your kid's friends all have e-bikes, and they're begging for one for Christmas in order to keep up on rides, it can be tough to say no.

The experts say to start kids on electric power at age 9, and level them up to faster bikes at age 12 or 16. I, an expert not on safety but on chilling out with your friends and having a good time, say to keep an eye on what your child's actual developmental state is, and what their friends are doing. In both, though, you should pay attention to your kid — do you trust them to handle a faster vehicle?