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HealthAnalysis

Study finds injuries from e-bikes and e-scooters rising among US children

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets across the spectrum.

3 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

A study by researchers at Stanford, published in JAMA, reports that injuries from e-bikes and e-scooters are rising among children. The New York Post reports that between January 2023 and March 2026, e-bike injuries rose 33 percent and e-scooter injuries 15 percent. TIME reports relative increases of roughly 400 percent for e-bikes and almost 200 percent for e-scooters over the study period. According to the study as reported, severe injuries, such as those needing surgery or intensive care, were about twice as likely when a powered vehicle was involved compared with a regular bicycle or scooter. Pediatric physicians quoted in the coverage discuss what they see as the cause of the trend.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. Editors read every story. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Researchers at Stanford published a study in JAMA on injuries to children from e-bikes, e-scooters and other bikes and scooters.

    Reported byLeft1Center1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    TIME
    Center
    NewsNation
    Right
    New York Post

  2. E-bike injuries among children rose 33 percent and e-scooter injuries 15 percent over the study period, according to the study.

    Reported byCenter1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    NewsNation
    Right
    New York Post

  3. The study reports that e-bike injuries rose roughly 400 percent in relative terms and e-scooter injuries almost 200 percent.

    One outletTIME· Left

  4. Severe injuries were about twice as likely in crashes involving an e-bike or e-scooter as with a regular bicycle or scooter.

    Reported byLeft1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    TIME
    Right
    New York Post

  5. The Post reports that about 13,000 young people were treated at six large children’s hospitals for bike, scooter and skateboard injuries between January 2023 and March 2026.

    One outletNew York Post· Right

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Questions the coverage answers differently, and who says what.

  • Did injuries from e-bikes among children rise about 33 percent during the study period?

    The New York Post and NewsNation report a 33 percent rise in e-bike injuries, and the Post cites 15 percent for e-scooters. TIME reports a roughly 400 percent relative increase for e-bikes and almost 200 percent for e-scooters.

How each side tells it

Compare views

All three sides report that injuries from e-bikes and e-scooters are rising among children, according to a Stanford study in JAMA. The main difference is emphasis: the Post and TIME stress the danger and offer guidance, while NewsNation leads with the 33 percent figure.

  • the left

    1 outlet

    TIME’s headline states that e-bike and e-scooter accidents are skyrocketing among children, using a general description of the trend and no advice to readers.

    E-Bike and E-Scooter Accidents Are Skyrocketing Among Children
    TIMELeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    1 outlet

    NewsNation’s headline leads with a single statistic, a 33 percent spike in e-bike injuries at emergency rooms, and attributes the finding to a study.

    Emergency rooms see 33% spike in e-bike injuries among US children: Study
    NewsNationCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    1 outlet

    The New York Post’s headline pairs the rise in injuries with a promise of parental advice from a doctor, framing the story as an alarming trend families should act on.

    Kids’ e-bike and e-scooter injuries are skyrocketing — doctor reveals what all parents should do
    New York PostRightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right2

    horrific injuriesalarming trend

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    horrific injuriesMore neutral: serious injuries

    The word adds an emotional judgement about the injuries that the reported figures do not require.

    E-bikes and e-scooters are soaring in popularity, and with them, horrific injuries are surging too.

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Sensational language

    alarming trendMore neutral: trend

    Calling the trend alarming is an evaluation the outlet makes in its own voice rather than a fact reported from the study.

    …Northwell Health, breaks down the new research, weighs in on what’s behind this alarming trend and what we can do to stop it.

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

1 outlet

Leads with

  • rising pediatric injuries
  • severity of crashes
  • account from a pediatrician
See the headline from the leftHide the headlines
  • TIMELeft

    E-Bike and E-Scooter Accidents Are Skyrocketing Among Children

    Doctors are seeing an exponential rise in pediatric injuries from e-bikes and scooters.

    Read at TIME (opens in a new tab)

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • the 33 percent figure
  • emergency room data
  • study as the source
See the headline from the centerHide the headlines

From the right

1 outlet

Leads with

  • advice for parents
  • alarming rise in child injuries
  • quotes from a pediatric surgeon
See the headline from the rightHide the headlines
  • New York PostRight

    Kids’ e-bike and e-scooter injuries are skyrocketing — doctor reveals what all parents should do

    This deadly threat isn't just affecting adults. In fact, injuries among kids are climbing much faster than grown folks.

    Read at New York Post (opens in a new tab)

The stories you read build My Mix, a private picture of which sides cover the stories you choose, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    10 hr 40 min later

    Its first report, Nov 3, 11:03 AM EST

  • Center

    First to report

    NewsNation, Nov 3, 12:23 AM EST

  • Right

    1 day 11 hr later

    Its first report, Nov 4, 11:46 AM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. NewsNationCenterNov 3, 12:23 AM EST
  2. TIMELeftNov 3, 11:03 AM EST
  3. New York PostRightNov 4, 11:46 AM EST

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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