Being a teenager is hard. Aside from being trendy, weighted blankets can feel like a big ol’ hug, helping to ease stressed-out feelings. Bearaby makes the best weighted blanket—it’s available in many gorgeous colors, it’s breathable, and the Tencel version is biodegradable. We have plenty of recommendations (and advice on which weight to buy) in our Best Weighted Blankets guide.

Hugz weighted stuffed animals are the best. They’re available in a ton of cute, cuddly varieties. I’ve slept with Shelly the Turtle every night since she got to my house, and Toffee the Highland Cow is great, too. Each critter weighs 3.8 pounds, which is just heavy enough to feel like a hug without feeling too heavy or overwhelming. They can be placed in the freezer or microwave for additional sensory goodness. Miniature sizes are available, but I think it’s worth getting the bigger versions. And I like that I can get the benefit of a weighted blanket without all the bulk of one.

In the era of streaming, it’s easy to feel a disconnect with music, and it can be difficult to find new artists. Physical records let you play a whole album front to back, and there’s a tactility that makes you appreciate the art more.

Victrola’s Re-Spin is an affordable way to bring the teen in your life in on the vinyl fun. This suitcase record player is lightweight and easy to tote around from room to room (or to a friend’s house), and the removable cover can convert into a stand for record covers. It has a built-in speaker that sounds pretty decent and can fill up a room. If they’ve gone through all their records, there’s a switch to turn the whole thing into a Bluetooth speaker to keep the party going via a connected smartphone. It’s made of 25 percent recycled plastic.

These are some of our favorite smart ambient lights. From TikTok videos to gaming setups, they look good in any background. You can also place them on a bedroom wall or behind a TV for lighting that’s easier on the eyes. The colors are customizable via an app, so your teen can set the mood with a rainbow of hues, as well as multiple white shades. The app also includes preset scenes, scheduling options, and voice control.

Added bonus: LED lights are cheaper to run than incandescent bulbs. Check out more recommendations in our Best Smart Lighting guide. We also have a dedicated guide to help you decide which Govee smart lights you should buy.

There’s no doubt that the Nothing Ear (a) Earbuds look cool. But they sound even better. They’re our favorite wirefree earbuds. With solid noise cancellation, fantastic touch controls, easy pairing, and customizable EQ, they’re feature-rich as well as affordable.

If your teen just wants AirPods and nothing else will do, go for the great but pricey Apple AirPods Pro (Gen 3). For additional recommendations, read our Best Wireless Headphones guide (or our guide to the Best AirPods Pro Alternatives.)

An iPad is seemingly superfluous—until teens start using it to watch shows, do homework, or hop on Zoom meetings. They’re actually quite handy to have around. Apple’s 11th-generation model has a slick, modern design and is available in many fun colors. It’s fast and snappy, it has an improved base storage capacity, and it still charges via USB-C.

Check our Best iPad and Best Tablets guides for more options. Don’t forget to read our Best iPad Accessories guide to trick out their slate with keyboard covers and stands.

Like a good set of sheets or your first tools, a wallet is a gift you only get excited about when you’re almost an adult. SlimFold makes great gear. My friend has used this wallet daily for over eight years, and it’s still going strong. It has just enough room for cash and cards, preventing it from becoming bulky or obtrusive (or leaving a wear mark on pants pockets). The material is durable, stretchy, and flexible, and even when stuffed full the wallet remains lightweight. If your teen is preparing to fly the coop, this is a gift they’ll use almost every day.

Note that there’s an RFID-blocking option available from SlimFold’s website for an extra $4, which you should avoid for two reasons. The first is that I don’t love SlimFold’s RFID blockers, which are basically removable cards that cause a nuisance when you’re trying to store bills or credit cards. The second is that RFID-based crimes related to skimming credit cards are nearly nonexistent. Skip it and save your money.

Maybe your teen is already into skincare and stealing copious amounts of your expensive under-eye cream, despite the fact that they don’t even have dark circles yet. Bubble is a gender-neutral, teen-friendly company that makes products specifically designed for adolescent skin concerns, like acne and sweating. The ingredients are simple, but there are Bubble products for every step of a skin-care routine (except for SPF). All of them are cruelty-free, vegan, fragrance-free, and gentle enough for sensitive skin. I’m also a fan of the lip balm—it feels like a traditional balm, but the packaging is extra-cute, especially the little charms that you can get.

This set includes a basic three-step routine, but there are other kits available. Bubble also has a fantastic resource called Skin School that will teach teens about things like skincare myths, skin types, and how to safely add products into a routine. Hopefully, it’ll help save your teen from the long-term consequences of using harsh cleansers or aggressively popping zits.

Phone games are getting bigger and better every year. This controller works with compatible apps to essentially morph a smartphone into a mini gaming console. The Backbone One is our favorite mobile controller—just make sure you pick the right connector, whether that be USB-C or Lightning. Both include robust social features that make it easy to play with others, record clips, and (of course) play games.

If your teen giftee is always playing one mobile game or another, they’ll probably love this gizmo. We have additional recommendations in our Best Mobile Gaming Controllers guide.

A smartwatch can help your giftee leave their phone in their pocket more often and only take it out when they deem a notification to be important. These wearable gadgets can also track health and fitness features, control smart-home devices, and can even detect if they’ve taken a hard fall (and contact emergency services). Plus, smartwatches are just plain cool.

If they have an iPhone, gift them the Apple Watch SE (3rd Gen). It has tons of great features, like fall detection and mental health tracking, gesture controls, AI workout assistance, and more—read our Best Apple Watch guide for help deciding on a model.

Alternative: Are they proud Android phone owner? Go with the Google Pixel Watch 4 for $350 (see our full review). It is stunning and has a similar suite of features. Our guide to the Best Smartwatches has additional recommendations.

The Asus Vivobook 14 is our favorite cheap laptop. It has a full day of battery life and can handle most day-to-day tasks, and the memory specs are impressive for the price. We do wish the display was brighter and more color-accurate, but when it comes to doing homework and falling down YouTube rabbit holes, this Zenbook is hard to beat—especially for the price.

Looking for a MacBook, a Chromebook, or a different Windows machine? We’ve got more recommendations in our Laptops Buying Guide.

The MacBook Air M4 is our favorite laptop overall. It strikes the perfect balance between performance, battery life, portability, and quality. It’s ultra quiet, being fanless and all, and there’s support for external monitors. There’s also onboard AI processing for Apple Intelligence, and the webcam looks nice too. Upgrades can be expensive, but this still offers excellent value at the base price, and it should last your teen well into college.

Find additional recommendations in our Laptops Buying Guide.

A Kindle might make a fab gift for bookish teens. This model is our favorite. If they’re always hauling around a dozen paperbacks, this little portable library will lighten the load—it can hold literally thousands of electronic books. The battery lasts for weeks, too. Consider gifting a Kindle Unlimited membership to ensure they can download their favorite titles without spending their hard-earned allowance.

The methods of delivery may have changed over the course of a few generations, but teens still need a way to blare music. Maybe it’s the perfect shower soundtrack, or maybe they just got into Pink Floyd and need everyone in the household to know. Whatever the case, a speaker will make a great gift (and save you from the pain of dealing with phone-speaker-quality angst).

The JBL Flip 7 is our favorite Bluetooth speaker. It’s water-resistant and durable, and there’s a strap and a carabiner included. It’s also available in many fun colors, like a vivid purple.

Starface’s hydrocolloid blemish bandages are undeniably cute. The unisex star shapes help normalize acne—if you treat pimples as an excuse to decorate your face, they’re less likely to damage your self-esteem—and refills are inexpensive. The packaging is portable and adorable. It’s easy to stash the case inside a purse or backpack, and a built-in magnet keeps the compact closed.

Hydrocolloid patches work to absorb fluid, which helps deflate zits and reduces both redness and irritation. They also act as a physical barrier to shield the skin from external bacteria (and picking). They’re compatible with all skin types. Just stick a star on top of a blemish, wear it for a few hours, and remove it to reveal flatter, calmer skin.

The Owala FreeSip combines a couple of the biggest trends in teendom: sustainability and sticker-driven, color-coded customization. They come in a plethora of colors and capacities, and aside from being a status symbol, they’ll also encourage the lucky recipient to stay hydrated throughout the day. Disposable water bottles are not in style and haven’t been for some time.

Pick out a coordinating pack for your giftee and you’ll officially be their favorite relative. Probably. Other trendy water bottles include the half-gallon Hydro Jug Pro and the classic Hydro Flask. Read our buying guide for more recommendations, including tumblers.

The last thing anyone wants is a teenager stranded with a flat tire and a dead phone—or conveniently MIA at a friend’s house because their “phone died.” We recommend this compact portable charger. Despite the small physical footprint, it has enough juice to keep phones, tablets, and other gadgets topped off. It’s also made with more environmentally friendly materials than others we’ve tried. Pair the charger with the company’s eco-friendlier charging cables for a gift that’ll be used basically every day.

If your teen likes making videos, this nifty mount will come in handy again and again. Its legs can be a tripod, but they’re also flexible so they can wrap around basically anything, and they can be level no matter where they’re filming. This mount is MagSafe compatible, but it comes with clamps for additional security if your teen doesn’t have an iPhone.

This camera is made from recycled waste. It’s amazing. It has automatic flash and cinema-grade 35-mm film. Simply snap your 27 photos and send the camera back to the manufacturer using the included return label. They’ll send you back your developed snaps, then refurbish the camera, load it with more film, and send it on to the next person. The camera is available in a few colors and includes a handy wrist strap. The affordable price is a nice touch, too.

This affordable, lightweight, screen-free camera is a good option for teens. It’s stylish and mimics the feeling of a traditional disposable, but the built-in memory card holds up to 2,000 digital snaps. Transferring the photos is easy, too. The camera is rechargeable and has optional flash, and the resulting photos have a slightly dreamy look. Best of all, kids can take pics without getting sucked into their phone notifications.

This MagSafe phone mount is … how do the kids say it … low-key goated. You’ll need a MagSafe phone case for it to work. The accessory is composed of several rows of suction cups. Attach it to the back of your phone via the MagSafe magnet and then you can stick your phone basically anywhere. I’ve stuck it on mirrors, my shower door, and the window above my sink. It’s less sticky on painted surfaces, but on glass or metal, it’s so sticky that I usually need two hands to pry the mount off. I like that it’s easy to switch your phone’s orientation with a simple twist and that the mount comes in so many colors. After awhile, it gets less sticky, but washing and drying it renews the suction action. Check out our best MagSafe accessories buying guide for more recommendations.

Lots of coloring books are highly involved. But anyone that’s colored a mandala knows that after awhile, your eyes start to cross. CocoWyo’s bold and easy coloring books are great for the soothing therapeutic benefits of coloring without the stress of working for hours on a project that still isn’t finished. The big, open areas let you create fun patterns and lighting effects, putting your own twist on what might otherwise be standard coloring fare. Plus they’re affordable! Just note that you’ll want to put a barrier of some sort behind your current coloring page so the colors don’t bleed through too much. I do think these are perfect for alcohol markers, although they’d work well with other types.

An office chair would technically work just as well, but good luck explaining that to your teenager. The Razer Iskur V2 is our favorite gaming chair out of the many (many!) office chairs we’ve tested. It’s easy to assemble and has durable materials, and there are nice height, backrest, and armrest adjustments (though we wish seat depth was adjustable as well). Overall it looks sleek and it might even coordinate with the rest of your teen’s gaming setup. And importantly, it’ll help support their spine when they’re farming dungeons for eight hours at a time.

From our sister site, this tote bag from The New Yorker proves that status symbols don’t have to cost a kidney. With the New Yorker tote, you’re not just informed—you’re in the know. I scored mine when I started grad school and, naturally, subscribed to the magazine—because how else would I be in the know? It’s the tote you’ll spot in every major city and coffee shop, sported by students who might not read The New Yorker but certainly look the part. It’s also the kind of tote that has more than one Instagram account dedicated to tracking its sightings. It’s iconic, a bit basic, and a cliché, but let’s be honest: We all want one. —Boutayna Chokrane

The early ’00s are back, baby! And thus so are Uggs, the ubiquitous Y2K sheepskin fashion staple. Except this time we have some new styles, like the Tasman IIs. The full heel, range of color choices (from pink, green, and magenta to black), and embroidery detail make them more shoelike than the traditional mule or boot styles, and there’s even a trendy platform version for girls. As a result, these are not just slippers (like our favorite Ugg slippers, the Neumans) or after-sports slip-ons—my teen son and his friends all have a pair of these and wear them everywhere, just as they would regular shoes. I have seen them in the halls of schools, at the grocery store, and on kids riding bikes (OK, maybe just my own). There are lots of knockoff versions on the market, but you do get what you pay for with Uggs in terms of structure and longevity. Just make sure your teen includes socks if they’re wearing them all day long (ask me how I know!). —Kat Merck

Lululemon’s Scuba Oversized Half-Zip Hoodie is still trendy and cute, and it’s one of our favorites. It’s breathable and comfortable, and the giant hood is perfect for taking a nap. Combine it with the exaggerated cropped fit and we can almost guarantee that your kid will be thrilled when they unwrap this sweatshirt.

Teen boys are notoriously difficult to shop for, especially if your budget is modest, but all of the teen boys in my orbit (and my house) love Dr. Squatch products and their manly-man scents like Wood-Barrel Bourbon, Bay Rum, and Pine Tar. A few soaps—and maybe even a deodorant, if you’re feeling brave—make a great stocking stuffer. Or you could spring for the six or nine-bar pack as a standalone gift. If your giftee already has a scent they like, you could also pair it with the matching lotion or cologne, or introduce them to something new with one of the giftable collabs featuring franchises like Star Wars, Marvel, or Harry Potter. —Kat Merck

This will come as no surprise to middle- and high-school teachers, coaches, and carpool drivers, but teen boys are obsessed with cologne right now. “Smellmaxxing” is all over TikTok, and it’s even becoming something of a generational signature for Gen Alpha boys, the eldest of whom are turning 13 this year. You might not want to drop $150 on a bottle of Gucci or Versace, especially if you’re not sure of your recipient’s taste, but this sampler of 14 designer colognes can let your teen explore what scents and brands might work for them. If they find one they like, there’s a $15 off voucher in the box to be applied toward a full-size version. The box I got even came with a free portable atomizer for taking their new scent on the go. (Sorry, teachers.) —Kat Merck

Many (dare I say most?) teens love wearing slides, no matter the situation or weather, but if your giftee also happens to love the mobile multiplayer game Brawl Stars, this Floafer collab is a no-brainer. Spike is just one of an upcoming series of Brawl Stars characters to appear as a Floafer slide over the next year (which ones? It’s a surprise!), so there’s a chance to eventually collect the whole set. My own Brawl Stars-loving teen was so jazzed about these he even kept the box as a keepsake. Parents may also appreciate that Floafers are antimicrobial, waterproof, nonslip, washable, and no-scuff. —Kat Merck

Are gift cards tacky when shopping for your boss? Probably. When it comes to teens, though, an Amazon gift card offers immunity. You might be admitting that you’re not the most thoughtful gift-giver, but it’s better to give a gift card and cede the battle than give a cringeworthy T-shirt and lose the war.