In this day and age teens are surrounded by technology. And for parents to think they can do without it would be terribly wrong. Internet, smartphones and other forms of tech serve as the fuel in an average teen’s daily life. During recent times it has been made very clear that teens today are born gadget-friendly. Some of a teenager’s basic digital requirements are:

Smartphones

It is hard to find a teen tinkering around with a mobile phone that can only make and receive calls and text messages these days. Teens are more into networking; socializing and staying connected to the people they know. One in four American teens says that they use the internet from their smartphones. These sleek pieces of technology have left the teenagers intoxicated. The fact, however, remains that while teens are facilitated by smartphones in many ways, they are also affected by them negatively. Every blessing that is used, excessively, becomes a curse.  This holds true in case of  smartphones as well.

Laptop/Netbook

Although smartphones are bewitching enough they cannot replace a real computer in every way possible. They often  lack the power to serve all the need of an average consumer. Here a laptop/netbook jumps into the scene. Laptops are one of the basic gadgets for teens. They are affordable, portable and teens feel more comfortable while doing productive work on them. Smartphones do help teens in networking but teens prefer using the laptop for academic assignments and other important tasks. A laptop allows them to work independently, free from the constraints of a small screen and the non-availability of proper productivity apps. This is why laptops have been seen more often in the hands of teenagers than any other demographic segment. 

E-Book reader

Apart from their textbooks, teens have to carry novels and other books that they read to relax their mind after a strenuous class or a mind-boggling quiz. Books not only take up a lot of space but also add to the weight they have to carry to college or school. The answer to this problem is an e-book reader. E-book readers are the third basic need of every teenager and for the right reasons too. An e-book reader allows its users to read books and periodicals on their own terms. A longer battery life ensures that the teen does not have to stop short of the reading.

External Hard drive

All over the world teens are fretting over internal hard drive crashes. A small technical glitch or a virus is capable of erasing an entire research paper or assignments from the computer’s hard drive. Many teens depend on their laptop’s memory alone. Every single bit of their academic and personal data is stored in the internal hard drive. A mishap or even the mismanagement of the internal hard drive can be no less than a trauma for the them. Retrieving all this lost data requires the expertise of an extremely proficient techie. Hence, it is easier to create a backup rather than retrieving the data later when it's lost. Better safe than sorry – that’s the reason why external hard drives are so commonly used today. External hard drives are one of the best gadgets for teens. Teens can store all their data in the portable external hard drive. A simple plug-in to the computer will give them access to all the data they have stored on the hard drive.

Gaming system

After a hard day at school or college teens do need some time to relieve themselves of the stress that studies give them. Every teen has a different preference but a huge part of the population considers gaming an instant stress relief. Though not as productive as other necessities mentioned in this list, a gaming system has become a basic requirement for every teen, today. Parents should also look into parental control for video game consoles. 

Remember that whatever gadgets you give to your teens need to be moderated. The digital world is vast and dangerous if parents are not careful. So use your head before you pick out the best gadgets for teens!