Mandy Oaklander | November 03, 2026

If you've ever walked down the sidewalk and felt someone whiz by you in a flash, you may have encountered an electric bike, also called an e-bike. A new study out this week found that injuries involving e-bikes and e-scooters are rising exponentially among children and teens.

For her new piece in TIME, my colleague Veronique Greenwood talked to doctors who are worried about kids on e-bikes and similar devices. They shared advice on how to curb this growing problem.

TODAY’S TOPICS

Too hot to handle?
A drug approval to improve access
Another insurance hike
Kids and e-bikes
The case for texting a friend

PLEASE ADVISE

Here’s a great question we received from a reader:

I love swimming in the hot springs near my home. Are daily dips in scalding temperatures safe?

Artur Debat—Getty Images

Hot-water immersion can be safe and even beneficial, research suggests. In a hot tub or hot spring, your heart rate goes up, the pattern of blood flow through the body changes, and you might feel better mentally afterwards, says Christopher Minson, a professor of human physiology at the University of Oregon. When you get out, “your blood pressure might be down for a few hours. Your insulin signaling might be improved for a while,” he says.

Social benefits may also come with visiting hot springs or public baths. “One thing I noticed in Japan, it was a meeting place for many older adults, and they talk about it preventing ‘social frailty,’” says Brendon Roxburgh, a lecturer in clinical exercise physiology at the University of Otago in New Zealand.

That doesn’t mean you should cook yourself. Places where many people engage in hot-water immersion, like Japan, also have higher rates of heat injury, particularly in older folks. “Older adults don't necessarily perceive the same degree of warmth or discomfort as younger people, even when their bodies are experiencing considerable heat exposure. This means they may not recognize when they are becoming excessively hot,” Roxburgh says. A little hot water can go a long way. –Veronique Greenwood

Got a health question of your own? Send it our way to healthmatters@time.com, and we might tackle it in a future edition.

This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice.

ONE DRUG TO KNOW

A cheaper way to prevent HIV

SyhinStas—Getty Images

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first generic version of lenacapavir, the groundbreaking twice-a-year injection that prevents HIV. Made by Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories of India, the shots would cost about $40 per person per year in eligible countries—comparable to the cost of daily HIV-prevention pills in those markets.

Public-health experts—including those at Unitaid, one of the global-health agencies that helped make the generic version possible—hope that broader access to the shots will prevent more HIV infections and ultimately reduce HIV-related deaths.

The drug’s developer, Gilead, still holds the patent on the drug, which was approved for HIV prevention in 2025. But it has issued licenses to six generic manufacturers to produce versions for low- and middle-income countries. —Alice Park

BIG NUMBER

13%

The amount by which U.S. health insurance premiums will increase for people on Silver plans on the Affordable Care Act marketplace in 2027, according to a new analysis by KFF. This marks the second consecutive year of double-digit increases. —Alana Semuels

TODAY I LEARNED

Many e-bike and e-scooter injuries involve young kids

Miguel Sotomayor—Getty Images

As I learned while writing my new piece for TIME, a growing number of kids are landing in emergency rooms, hospitals, and urgent-care centers across the U.S. after riding e-scooters and e-bikes. A study published yesterday found that injuries from e-bikes showed a roughly 400% relative increase from 2023-2026, and e-scooter injuries rose by almost 200%. —Veronique Greenwood

Read the full story here.

TIME100 Most Influential Companies is expanding

TIME100 Most Influential Companies 2027 entries are now open.

With new Exceptional Workplaces categories, the TIME100 Companies publication is expanding to recognize businesses pioneering new approaches to how people work, from flexible and hybrid work to technology integration and career development.

Because it’s no longer just what you do, but how you do it.

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WHAT WE’RE READING

It's never too late to pursue an outrageous dream. Paula Cocozza at the Guardian meets a retiree who learned to weld and spent eight years building the Porsche he'd wanted since his 20s.
Those funny Instagram reels you send your friends might be doing more good than you think. Shanna B. Tiayon at UC Berkeley's Greater Good explains how sharing videos can help maintain friendships.
Love knows no species? Nicola Davis at the Guardian introduces a bull and donkey whose unusually affectionate relationship is helping scientists better understand animal behavior.