The automatic scooter unlocking mechanism is an improvement to existing folding kick scooter designs whereby vertical movement of a telescoping handlebar automatically causes rotation, and a corresponding unlocking, of a scooter footboard latch. The inventive mechanism places an extension on to the rotating handle of the footboard latch and places the distal end of the extension in such a location so as to contact a protuberance located on the sliding portion of the telescoping handlebar. During contact, the extension is deflected and the handle of the footboard latch rotates and unlocks, allowing for free rotation of the scooter footboard between folded and unfolded states. The inventive mechanism can be integral to a kick scooter design or can take the form of a system that can be installed on to a pre-existing kick scooter in an aftermarket fashion.