E-scooters have zipped their way into Australian cities, promising a fun, eco-friendly way to get around.
But behind the buzz and convenience, a new study has revealed a sobering reality: our children are being injured at an alarming rate, and experts warn we’re only seeing the ‘tip of the iceberg’.
A growing problem on our streets
Dr Matthew Clanfield, an emergency physician at Sunshine Coast University Hospital, has seen the consequences firsthand.
‘Every three days, a child injured on an e-scooter would come through our emergency department doors,’ he says.
Between 2023 and 2024 alone, 176 children were treated for e-scooter injuries at his hospital.
Some walked away with little more than a grazed knee, but others weren’t so lucky—suffering life-threatening brain injuries that required neurosurgery and ongoing psychological care.
Dr Clanfield’s research, published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, is the first in Australia to specifically track paediatric e-scooter injuries.
And the findings are confronting. The children injured ranged from just five years old up to 15.
One in ten suffered life-threatening or potentially life-threatening injuries, and more than a third broke at least one bone.
The alarming numbers behind the injuries
Digging deeper into the data, the study found that 42 per cent of injured children weren’t wearing a helmet at the time of their accident.
More than a third were exceeding the legal speed limit of 25 km/h, and in 13 per cent of cases, two children were riding on a single scooter—doubling the risk.
‘We had one child who got up to 70 km/h on an e-scooter and T-boned a car,’ Dr Clanfield recalls.
Why are kids at such high risk?
Part of the problem, says Assoc Prof Terry Slevin, CEO of the Public Health Association of Australia, is that children simply don’t have the same understanding of road rules and safety as adults.
‘They’re massively overrepresented in e-scooter injuries and deaths, even though most e-scooter riders are adults,’ he says.
The issue is compounded by inconsistent laws across the country.
In Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), children as young as 12 can legally ride e-scooters (with adult supervision in Queensland), while in other states the minimum age is 16 or even 18.
This patchwork of rules makes it confusing for parents and kids alike.
A national issue—but no national data
The lack of a national database on e-scooter injuries makes it hard to grasp the true scale of the problem.
University of Melbourne researcher Assoc Prof Milad Haghani scoured news reports from 2020 to 2025 and found 30 e-scooter-related deaths—11 of them under 18.
But experts agree this is likely an undercount.
Dr Sarah Whitelaw, the Australian Medical Association’s federal emergency medicine representative, says the study reflects what’s happening in emergency departments across the country.
‘It’s heartbreaking when families say they had no idea their child could be so badly injured on an e-scooter,’ she says.
Are e-scooters being marketed to kids?
Despite the risks, e-scooters are often marketed with bright colours and fun designs that appeal to children.
Dr Whitelaw points out that many parents don’t realise it’s illegal for under-16s to ride e-scooters on public property in most states.
‘It’s not clear to parents that, in fact, in many states and territories, it’s illegal to ride them outside your home on public property unless you’re over 16,’ she says.
What needs to change?
Rather than calling for an outright ban, experts are urging governments to tighten and clarify safety laws.
This includes raising the minimum age for riders, enforcing helmet use, and ensuring speed limits are respected.
There’s also a call for better education for both parents and children about the risks involved.
In May, the Queensland government announced a parliamentary inquiry into e-bike and e-scooter safety, but Dr Clanfield and others say immediate action is needed to protect children now.
The bottom line
As conversations continue around the safety and regulation of e-scooters across Australia, this study provides important insights into the risks for younger users.
While views may vary on how best to address the issue, the data invites reflection on how communities, families and decision-makers can work together to ensure safer outcomes for all.
What are your thoughts on e-scooter use among children? Have you or someone you know had any experiences—positive or negative—with these devices? Do you think current laws go far enough, or is there more that could be done? We welcome your perspectives in the comments below.
Also read: The hidden dangers of e-bikes: Are you overlooking the hazards?
E-scooters are powered and can travel at over 25Km, so why don’t you have to have a license to drive them in public places. It is about time that the government should already have the laws in place. I have heard that immigrants are going to have checks to make sure they have had good basic driver training before being allowed on the roads, which has been the problem with accidents increasing, just reducing speed limits does not reduce accidents, it just reduces the severity. But you try to educate the politicians (experts who know everything).
Motor scooters and motor bikes require government registration and a permit or license to ride on public roads. E-Scooters are a type of unregulated motor scooter unsuited and unwelcome on public roads or footpaths.
I would also like to see electric bikes licensed.
If adults are stupid enough to let their children ride their scooters in public without helmets or with altered settings to increase power, then they need to accept responsibility.
I am amazed at the amount of kids riding about on these things without helmets! parents just don’t seem to care. They can travel at amazing speeds and are a menace to pedestrians. I heard through n acquaintance of n elderly pensioner who had been injured by one of these reckless teens on an e-bike who ended up several hundred dollars out of pocket because… no compulsory third party insurance either. Lets get some REAL rules in place for these things.