Well, we don't have a perfect perspective or the benefit of background leading up to the ride...but I wouldn't have taken our 13 year on the metric tour yesterday unless the conditions were perfect - I wanted it to be fun for him, so he'd want more.
Is it abuse? I don't know, is making a kid play football when they don't want to abuse? In my house, yes, but legally, no...
But gee, this is definitely not a way to nurture a love of cycling in the kid, eh?
If you don't grow where you're planted, you'll never BLOOM - Will Rogers