Bicyclists aren't required to wear helmets in CA. As long as these scooters don't go more than 25 MPH I don't see why they shouldn't be treated any differently from a legal perspective.

California law specifically requires wearing a helmet when riding a motorized scooter:

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/vr/scooters

Here's the full text:

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.x....

Never understood this either, the law says its only for < 18:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_law_in_California#Bicy...

https://www.tracy.k12.ca.us/sites/bes/Documents/Bicyle%20Hel...

http://losangelesbicycleattorney.com/bicycle-helmet-laws-wha...

I wonder what they are getting ticketed for

From a legal perspective, how would going more than 25 MPH be relevant?

Higher speeds are more dangerous, and thus require more safety equipment.

How about those airbag helmets? They don't look lame and possibly could fit various head sizes.

I do wonder why they don't cover the face tho.

Airbag helmets are interesting for bicycles and low speed vehicles! They probably don't cover the face because of suffocation risk.