A new easy way for parents to teach teens responsibility and independence, through shopping online.

We know that parents of teens (us included!) are always searching for ways to help teach them responsibility, and slowly gain more independence. That's what they want, and well, it's what we want too, which is why we're so thrilled to team up with Amazon, who recently launched a way for parents to do just that. This is available for families with kids 13-17 and allows teens to shop independently, and stream digital content while still keeping their parents informed, so that we can help guide them, and in some cases, correct them.

How to Sign Up

It's easy for both parents and teens to sign up. Head over to Amazon.com/forteens and follow the simple instructions. Once a parent signs up, the teens will receive an invite to create their own login user name and password, then download the Amazon App to shop. Parents will be instructed to set payment method, shipping address, as well as the approval method (the important part!) for the purchases, and how you will be notified. By default, parents approve every single order, however, you can choose to skip that step, and set a pre-approved spending limit.

How it works 

Once your teen (or teens — up to four on one account) is signed up, they can shop for anything they wish to buy (like a record player, snake tank decoration, or jojoba oil, for example), then place an order. At that point, you will receive a message (either SMS or email, which you chose during set-up) that lets you know your teen has placed an order. And let's just say you might be surprised at what they order (and how carefully and thoughtfully they shop). If you are required to approve every order, you can head over to your account to see an itemized list of all the items, at which point you can decide whether your teen made appropriate choices. Your teen can leave you notes (like mine did, above), for why they need or want something. For families who chose to skip the approval step, you'll always receive an itemized notification for every order, with the ability to cancel and return anything (in accordance with Amazon's policies). And, if you have Prime, your teen can reap those benefits, including Free Two-Day Shipping, Prime Video, and Twitch Prime at no added cost. With their own login that's still connected to a parent's Amazon account, teens can learn how to make smart shopping decisions, and work towards achieving independence and gaining responsibility in a safe, monitored environment. Thanks so much to our sponsor Amazon for offering this new way for teens to shop online and parents who are doing their best to teach kids responsibility and help them gain independence.