Teens get a bad rap for being moody and hard to please, but shopping for the 16-year-old in your life doesn’t need to be agonizing; all you really need to do to put a smile on their face is to lean into their personal passions and sense of style.
That being said, if your birth year begins with a 19, there’s a chance that the teen you know will think your taste is cheugy. So, when it came time to curate our list of the best gifts for 16-year-olds, we made sure to check in with some actual teens.
Lila, age 17, is a high school senior living in New York. She’s interested in math, biology, and economics, and tells POPSUGAR that her favorite class is multivariable calculus and differential equations (aka advanced girl math). Lila is also a member of her school’s Spanish-speaking debate club and the founder of a club called Women in Business Leadership, which, she says, “holds forum discussion on financial and business topics as well as methods to achieve female equity in corporate positions.” (Impressed yet?) Lila is also a foodie and a reader and loves a good beauty product.
Here, Lila gives us a sneak peek at her holiday wish list. In addition to Lila’s must haves, she and other teens have also vetted every item you’ll find below, which include top tech picks for teens (like the Nintendo Switch and iPad Air), the best in beauty (PS editors also can’t get enough of the Hey Dewy Portable Cool Mist Humidifier), and some covetable fashion finds. Happy shopping!
- The Best Fashion Gifts For 16-Year-Olds
- The Best Beauty Picks For Teens
- Tech Gifts Your Teen Will Love
- Teen Gifts That Are Just For Fun
– Additional reporting by Lauren Harano, Alessia Santoro, and Abbey Stone
