Gifts For Teens

What Teenagers Want (It's Not What You Think)

First of all, teens want a lot of things: to have fun, to change the world, to be older than they are, and more. I'm not tackling that topic-- This article is about what they want you to buy them.

Second, I hate to generalize about "what teens want" because I remember too well what it was like to be a teen and how much I disliked being lumped into any category of people. It inevitably happened though: School was divided into jocks, geeks, punks, etc. ... there were socioeconomic differences within my neighborhood... if I wanted to go to college, I had to study hard enough to make certain grades.... and so it went.

Looking back though, even though I felt supremely unique and hated to be pigeonholed, I had to admit that I did have certain things in common with other teens, aside from just our age. I liked (and disdained) many of the same things "they" did.

So I am guessing the same is true today; that no matter how unique a teen is, most of them like to receive certain things as gifts.
Like these:

1. Clothes. Male or female, the places to shop are Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister, Aeropostale and American Eagle. Of course there may be some regional differences but overall those seem safe.
2. Food. They mainly like it as a social medium. Get them gift cards or certificates for places they like to hang out and eat such as pizza, McDonald's, or any local place you know of. A pizza giftcard also means they can order in for their friends and be a hero for an afternoon.
3. Gas. Nobody likes to pay for gas. Who wouldn't like a free tank?
4. Music. If you don't know their taste, a giftcard to iTunes is a safe bet. Otherwise pick up their favorite CD.
5. Electronics. You can go high-end and get an MP3 player or iPhone or for a bit less (or if they already have these things), get some accessories like memory sticks, docking stations, cell phone holders or charms.
6. Freedom to choose their own gifts. That's why giftcards are really good to give--picking out their own stuff means it will definitely be all about them. Amazon.com is always good if you don't know the category of stuff they want.
7. Videogames. I had to mention it but I think it's mainly a dude thing and this is really about teens in general.

TEENS: Feel free to chime in with your own suggestions at the bottom of this article!