TAMPA, Fla (WFLA) — You see more and more of the e-bikes on the streets. Local hospitals are saying there’s been a surge of injuries on those e-bikes, especially among kids.

Doctors are urging parents to know the risks and the steps to keep kids safe.

There is a bit of an e-bike craze on the streets and in the stores. The team at Tampa Bay E-Bike said the demand for electric bikes is high.

“It’s definitely increasing and the age group for the e-bike industry is getting younger,” said Forrest Fleming, the Customer Support Employee at Tampa Bay E-Bike.

If you ask some parents, that’s where they say they have to draw the line.

“I definitely have an 11-year-old that wants one and not quite sure he’s ready for it right now, you know?” said Emily Cabral, a parent. “There’s a lot of kids riding them now. That makes me a little nervous.”

Tampa General Hospital said in 2024, they had about nine kids injured on e-bikes. From January to July 2025, they said they had about 24 kids injured on the e-bikes, and they expect more.

“Bad brain injuries, brain bruising, bleeding, bad concussions, and pretty significant broken arms and legs needing surgery,” said Dr. Jasmine Patterson, Muma Children’s Hospital at TGH/USF Health. “It’s a big deal. We’re just seeing such serious injuries that probably could be prevented if parents knew more about the bike and protected their children and taught them more about the bike and rules of the road.”

Dr. Patterson said in some cases the kids, aged 12-15, hit parked cars, jumped curbs, and were not wearing helmets. Fleming said the bikes can reach anywhere from 20 to 28 miles per hour and said there’s no telling what some of the kids are doing on the bikes.

“This is an electric vehicle that can cause a lot of damage if they don’t know how to manage it properly,” said Fleming.

He said that is where parents come in. Even with a helmet, being responsible on the roads, has to be taught and enforced by parents. Cabral said the level of some of the injuries being reported, to here just aren’t worth it.

“I think as you get older, obviously it’s fine. But that, that age group, I’m not sure they’re quite ready for it yet,” said Cabral. “There are a lot. They speed through on the Riverwalk sometimes. And I mean, they look fun. definitely. But it, you know, can absolutely be a safety hazard.”

For tips on e-Bike safety, click here.