Electric scooter injuries among American adolescents have risen steeply, and the pattern within those injuries is as significant as the total: boys under 18 account for more than 70% of pediatric cases, and children aged 11 to 14 make up the largest share.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins Children's Center analyzed the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, the Consumer Product Safety Commission program that captures injury-related emergency department visits from a nationally representative sample of US hospitals. From 2020 through 2024, the dataset recorded 2,117 pediatric e-scooter injuries, with the number increasing each year. The work was published in the journal Injury and funded by the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, with no author conflicts declared.
The concentration in early adolescence is the finding with the clearest implications for prevention.
The Age Band Where Injuries Cluster
Children aged 11 to 14 accounted for 38.3% of pediatric cases, a disproportionate share of the under-18 population, while boys under 18 made up 70.7%.
Mary Beth Howard, a pediatric emergency medicine physician at the Children's Center, described why that age band stands out. "Younger adolescents have less-developed motor skills, poorer judgment and limited experience with traffic and road safety, making them more susceptible to injuries," she said in the study announcement, adding that risk-taking behaviors and peer influence are heightened in early adolescence.
On the sex difference, Howard said males are consistently at higher risk of both minor and major injuries, including head injuries and traumatic brain injuries, which she attributed to a mix of behavioral and social factors, including greater risk-taking and lower use of protective equipment like helmets.
The researchers also found higher injury rates among Black and Hispanic children, at 16% and 15.7% respectively across the study period. Those groups represented a greater share of e-scooter injuries than of other unintentional injuries involving electric bikes, conventional bikes, skateboards and hoverboards, but did not have a higher rate of severe injury or hospitalization. Disparities in injury rates without corresponding severity differences typically point toward exposure and environment rather than behavior, including where riding occurs and what infrastructure is available.
The Injuries That Concern Clinicians Most
Head and facial injuries are the reason e-scooters draw more concern than their non-motorized counterparts.
CPSC data found that 20,960 of all e-scooter injuries recorded in 2024, about 18%, were head injuries. Comparative research has found that adolescent e-scooter riders were significantly more likely than non-electric scooter riders to be involved in traffic accidents and to sustain severe head injuries requiring surgical intervention.
Speed explains much of it. An e-scooter reaches 15 to 20 miles per hour without effort, and the rider stands upright with a high center of gravity on small wheels. A pothole or curb stops the scooter while the rider continues forward, and the standing posture means the head is often the first point of impact.
Facial injuries follow the same mechanism. Orbital fractures, retrobulbar hemorrhage, and eyelid trauma appear in the clinical literature on e-scooter accidents, and soft tissue injuries are more common than fractures.
Helmet use among injured riders is consistently low across studies, which is why Howard identifies protective equipment as one of the factors behind the sex difference in injury rates.
The Data Sources and Their Differences
Several figures circulate about this trend, and they come from different systems that are not interchangeable.
NEISS is the Consumer Product Safety Commission's surveillance program, drawing from a nationally representative hospital sample and producing national estimates. It introduced a specific product code for powered scooters in 2020, which is why analyses using it generally begin that year.
Health system datasets produce different numbers because they use different denominators. One analysis of e-bike and e-scooter injury-related emergency visits reported rates per 10,000 people with an ED visit rather than counts, finding a substantial increase among children and adolescents and reporting head or neck injury in more than a third of those visits.
Neither is wrong, and neither should be compared directly to the other. A rate per 10,000 ED visits and a national injury count answer different questions.
Some analyses also combine e-bikes and e-scooters, which are different devices with different riding positions and injury patterns.
What the sources agree on is direction: injuries are increasing, the increase is steepest among younger riders, and head injuries are a substantial share.
Practical Steps for Families
Helmets are the intervention with the clearest evidence, and the gap between recommended and actual use is the largest modifiable factor in these data.
A properly fitted helmet sits level, covers the forehead, and has a snug chin strap. Bicycle helmets are appropriate for e-scooter riding, and multi-sport helmets offering more rear coverage are also suitable. Wrist guards reduce a common fracture mechanism, since riders instinctively extend their hands during falls.
Age and speed limits set by manufacturers exist for reasons the injury data support, and the 11 to 14 concentration sits directly below most of those thresholds. Most e-scooter manufacturers recommend against use by children under a specified age, commonly 14 to 16, and many devices allow parents to cap maximum speed through an app.
Environment matters as much as equipment. Howard noted that local speed limits on roads and paths shared by pedestrians and cyclists have been associated with reduced injury severity, that e-scooter-specific speed limit legislation could reduce injury incidence based on previous international studies, and that creating safe dedicated spaces such as protected lanes or recreational paths separate from street traffic may further reduce risk. The researchers concluded that comprehensive prevention combining educational, legislative and environmental approaches will be essential.
Any head impact warrants attention. Loss of consciousness, repeated vomiting, worsening headache, confusion, unequal pupils, seizure, or unusual drowsiness after a fall require emergency evaluation. Concussion symptoms can also appear hours later, so a child who seems fine immediately after a fall should still be observed.
Many school districts have adopted e-scooter restrictions, and local rules on sidewalk riding and minimum age vary considerably. MedicalDaily also maintains a guide to free and low-cost pediatric vaccination for families. MedicalDaily has covered adolescent health services available to families through community programs.
Key Questions Answered
How much have injuries increased? Federal surveillance recorded 2,117 pediatric e-scooter injuries from 2020 through 2024, with the number rising each year. Separate health system data show continued increases.
Which children are most affected? Boys under 18 accounted for 70.7% of pediatric cases, and children aged 11 to 14 made up 38.3%. Black and Hispanic children showed higher injury rates, at 16% and 15.7%, though not higher severity.
Why is early adolescence a high-risk period? Researchers cite less-developed motor skills, poorer judgment, and limited experience with traffic and road safety, combined with heightened risk-taking and peer influence and lower use of protective equipment.
How common are head injuries? CPSC data found that about 18% of all e-scooter injuries in 2024 were head injuries. Adolescent e-scooter riders are significantly more likely than non-electric scooter riders to sustain severe head injuries requiring surgery.
Why are e-scooters more dangerous than push scooters? Higher speeds, reached without effort, combined with a standing posture, high center of gravity, and small wheels. A curb or pothole stops the device while the rider continues forward, often head first.
Do the different figures conflict? No, they answer different questions. Federal surveillance produces national injury counts; health system analyses report rates per 10,000 emergency visits. Some analyses also combine e-bikes and e-scooters, which are different devices.
What should parents do after a fall involving head impact? Seek emergency evaluation for loss of consciousness, repeated vomiting, worsening headache, confusion, unequal pupils, seizure, or unusual drowsiness. Concussion symptoms can appear hours later, so observe a child who initially seems fine.
