Looking for a gift idea for the teenager in your life? Teens can be hard to buy for – and with that in mind, we’ve scoured the best online retailers for the best present ideas for teen girls and teen boys of all ages.
Whether you’re shopping for your fashion and beauty-obsessed teen niece or your avid gamer teen son, we've got you covered. These cool gifts are the best ones you can find for Christmas 2023 and they'll earn you major brownie points on birthdays and special occasions too!
Our Senior Lifestyle editor Karen Silas was on our testing panel and knows all too well the struggle of shopping for teens. She says: "After spending over a decade buying cute toys for your little one, I have to admit it’s kind of a shock to the system when your baby is suddenly a teenager with a very narrow definition of what’s cool, and a whole new repertoire of eye rolls.
And to them, there’s nothing worse than a gift that says, ‘My mum gave this to me.’ I’m a mum who has nearly survived my son’s teen years, and a proud aunt of tweens. So I know that gift cards and Amazon wish lists are a godsend. But if you really want to surprise them, I’ve been most successful when I’ve paid attention to what they’re wearing – accessories have been a big hit – and what they’re chatting about when they do spare the time for us oldies. And if all that fails, channel your inner teen and check out TikTok to see what’s trending."
How we chose the best Christmas gifts for teens
- Personal experience: Several members of the HELLO! Online team are parents to teens or have plenty of experience in shopping for teen family members. Where possible, we included products tried and tested by us - and actually gifted to real-life teens - and we only recommend something if it got the thumbs up
- TikTok trends: We keep our eye on TikTok for the latest trends that teens love. If it’s hot on TikTok - or other social media, you can find it in this guide
- Reviews: Where we couldn’t test the products ourselves, we focused on reviews from verified shoppers - and we only included products that received a good number of consistently positive reviews.
- Variety: Teens come in all shapes and sizes. Some are tech-obsessed, and others are massively into makeup. We tried to include something for every type of teen.
- Price: Some shoppers might be looking for a blowout main present, and others might be looking for a gift in the ‘small treat’ variety. We tried to cater to all budgets, and looked for teen gifts on sale.
The top gift all teens will love
Buyagift 30-minute Young Driver Experience
Is your teenager desperate to get behind the wheel? Just because they can’t drive on a road until they’re 17 doesn’t mean they can’t practice beforehand! The 30-minute young driver experience is run by the UK’s largest under-17 driving academy and is designed for 10-17 year-olds to learn the basics of driving with a qualified instructor. There are 61 locations UK-wide that run the course. If they want a bit extra, there’s a one-hour experience available.
The TikTok-approved hair tool
Revlon One-Step Dryer & Volumiser
A TikTok-approved hairstyler is the perfect gift for teenage girls. It’s gone viral with over 90 million hashtag views and it’s easy to see why - combines the power of a dryer and volume of a styler to deliver effortlessly beautiful, full-bodied and frizz-free hair with 22% more shine and in up to half the time. It’s available in both large and small barrel sizes for short and long hair.
For future YouTube stars
Vlogging light and phone holder
Do you have the next YouTube star at home? If your teen loves recording makeup tutorials or videos of themselves gaming then this is an essential piece of kit. It has three settings – cool light, warm light, warm yellow light and adjustable brightness for the perfect close up and it clips to any surface to hold your smartphone in place for hands-free vlogging.
Great for sleepovers
Progress Home-Made Ice Cream Maker
This is a fun teen gift idea – a machine that lets you make your own fruit sorbets and flavoured ice cream at home in just 15-25 minutes Gift it with the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream recipe book and you’re onto a winner!
A positive message to light up their life
Good Vibes Bulb And Stand
Teens live in their rooms (or caves, if you prefer) and this extremely cool lamp will make them the envy of their pals who come round to hang out. You can choose from a range of word designs - including: be happy, love, pride - so there's a positive message to suit every personality and taste!
The most useful gift for teens
Life Skills For Teens Book
Your teen might think thisis a joke gift, but they’ll actually find this book super helpful once they start to read it. It’s an easy-to-read manual of visual-guided life hacks every teen needs to know, including time management, finding a ‘calling’, how to set goals and achieve them, and even navigating parent-child relationships.
The trending footwear
Pillow Slides
It crazy how these ugly-looking slides became a worldwide bestseller, even making it onto Love Island! Teens love them, and to be fair they are super comfy! They’re available just about every colour you can imagine, and they make a great extra gift.
A gift that’ll last years
Kodak Smile Classic Digital Instant Camera
They probably have about 80,000 photos on their phone, but nothing beats actually having a physical picture to pin on the wall or decorate school books. This cool camera lets them print any photo from their device or take one and print it in the moment. It’s a gift they’ll keep on using for years to come.
For makeup-obsessed teens
Mini Fridge For Cosmetics
For the makeup-obsessed teen, this cute mini fridge is a must! It’ll keep her makeup in tip top condition and make it last longer. The 6-litre capacity is a perfect size to store everything, and it’s available in a white mirrored design and a kawaii brown bear version as well as this pretty teal-hued model.
To jazz up their cave (sorry, bedroom)
Neon Sign Kit
Both teen girls and teen boys will love this kit - they can use it to make their own neon sign for their bedroom wall using the three yards of flexible neon wire - the possibilities of what they create are endless!
A tech gadget they’ll actually use
Headphone Stand And Charger
Gamers and music-obsessed teens need a place to rest their headphones - and you get double brownie points with this gift because it also has ports to charge their devices too. It’s a nice chic wooden design which will look nice in their room which is an extra bonus.
Pricey but worth every penny
Levitating Moon Lamp
This 3d printed lamp is a little spenny but it so worth it, teens will absolutely love it and be the envy of any friends who come over. It defies gravity, magically floating and spinning on its axis while it lights up their room. It looks so much like the real moon you won’t believe it!
Best gift under £25
Inflatable lounger
Whether they’re a festival-goer or just want to chill with friends, this lounger is amazing! It’s as easy to collapse and pack as it is to inflate. Great to have on hand for parties or Netflix and chill!
For those texting marathons
Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard
Teens don’t call each other, they spend hours chatting via text - this funky keyboard with super soft buttons will let them chat comfortably for hours - just hook it up to their device via bluetooth. It’s available in a rainbow of different colours to suit all tastes, too.
For the parents too
Apple Airtags
Ok, this one might be a gift for the parents too. Have them put it in their bag, their wallet, or even their keys, so you can both keep track of those items they’re always losing!
The perfect skincare gift for teens
Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser + Futuredew set
Teen girls love Glossier, and this best-selling gift set is an amazing present. It features the brand's award-winning daily wash and their amazing Futuredew - an oil-serum hybrid daily skin finisher for a fresh, healthy-looking dewy glow that lasts.
Give the gift of #onfleek brows
benefit The Great Brow Basics Brow Gel & Pencils Collection
Any teen girl worth her salt knows that eyebrows absolutely need to be #onfleek – so she'd love to get this gift. The Benefit Gret Brow Gift set nets you £67.50 worth of products for £33.50 – three of the brand's full-size brow bestsellers. There’s everything here you need to create beautiful, natural-looking full brows and it’s available in three different shades.
For the emo teen
Gothic Name Necklace
A gothic name necklace is a present that both teen girls and boys love - this Etsy seller has rave reviews, with happy shoppers giving them the thumbs up for the quality and design. There are a number of different text styles and chain lengths available.
For the socially-conscious teen
Gandy’s Khaki Artisan Blanket
How about a gift for teens that helps give back? This snuggly blanket is by travel-inspired fashion line Gandys. It has an incredible back story - the brand was started by brothers Rob and Pal Gandy after they lost their parents in the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami. The duo are dedicated to doing good, by building kids' campuses and giving back to other underprivileged children around the world.
For the just-turned teen
Warning, Official teenager mug
If you're buying for a freshly minted teen's 13th birthday, this mug is a MUST. They'll absolutely love it!
The cutest kawai stationery set
CoralandInk Bakery Stationery Box
How about a gift for teens with an Inspirational back story? Student Aiesha set up cute kawaii stationery brand Coral and Ink when the pandemic meant she had to take a GAP year before starting university. The side project turned into a thriving business with thousands of sales. Teens are sure to adore the brand’s range of Korean and Japanese culture-inspired products!
