The 34 best gifts that your teen will actually use

Between keeping up with TikTok trends and whatever new gadget just dropped, it’s tough to know exactly what teens are into these days. Luckily, we can help. We may be older than teenagers, but many of us here at The Verge are kids at heart. Plus, we’ve also got a few staffers with older kids. To make your life a little easier this holiday season, we rounded up what we think are the best gifts for teens, based on our tech expertise as well as what our staff’s teens are into right now.

Below, you’ll find gift ideas for many types of teens. Some are more obvious choices, like the latest iPhone and Nintendo Switch 2, but we sought to include a few picks you might not have thought of. For gamers, there’s stuff like powerful gaming laptops and immersive mood lighting. If your teen leans more into creative pursuits, we think they’ll be excited by getting a great phone mount for filming TikToks, or a sleek instant camera that produces physical photos. If they’re into doodling, a drawing tablet could be a perfect gift. We’ve also added Star Wars-themed Lego sets, board games, magnetic poetry kits, and more ideas specifically for those moments in life when they need to unplug.

Photographer, photo editor: Amelia Holowaty Krales

Art director and designer: Cath Virginia

Creative director: Kristen Radtke