They are cut edges, yes, but not knife-blade sharp. We grind anything that looks like a rough cut. We have 2 kids of our own (age 6 and 8) and design for clients with kids all the time. It depends on the programming or use of the space, and it also depends on your kids, to be honest, but I've never held off on using steel as an edging or planter because a kid would be in the space. Hope that helps!