This post offers genius ways teens can hang out with friends online.
At a time when we’re all feeling somewhat isolated due to the Coronavirus pandemic, it doesn’t mean our teens have to give up socializing with friends.
If your teen can’t (or has chosen not to) hang out with their friends in person, this list of 12 cool things to do with your friends online will give them an opportunity to connect and hang out with their besties virtually.
Whether their friends are two houses down, in another town, or clear across the globe, we’ve rounded up some pretty darn cool websites and apps so they chat with their friends online, watch movies and videos, listen to music together, browse the web, shop, make music and even take an online class together – all as if they’re sitting right next to them!
If your teen is looking for a few clever ways to stay in touch with friends, here are 12 Genius Ways Teens Can Hang Out with Friends Online.
Watch2Gether
Watch2Gether is a fun social video website that allows you to spend time with friends in-sync watching videos, listening to music and even shopping on Amazon. Just create a room, invite your friends and get started! And, it’s free!
TogetherTube
With TogetherTube teens can gather a group of their friends and watch YouTube videos simultaneously, just like they’re sitting in the same room. So, whether their friends are down the block or on the other side of the world, they can all watch videos or listen to music together in realtime.
MashMe TV
MashMe TV is a video chat tool that can be used to talk face-to-face with up to 10 of your friends. The platform lets you and your friends browse the internet together, watch videos together or just hang out in real-time. They offer a basic free version or two other plans for a fairly low monthly fee.
CoSketch
CoSketch is a “zero hassle” multi-user online whiteboard designed to give you and your friends the ability to quickly visualize and share your ideas as images. Anything you sketch will show up for your friends to see in the room in real-time. And, you can save a sketch as an image. It’s free and doesn’t require registration.
LokLok
LokLok is a fun and easy way to stay connected to all your besties (and even your sweetie) throughout the day. Simply draw on your lock screen and it will show up on theirs! When you download the app, it replaces your lock screen with a clever new one that allows you to draw, leave notes and place photos for your friends to see when they check their phone.
Ohm Studio
Seriously, the coolest real-time collaborative digital workstation for budding musicians. It lets you record tracks and music together at the same time. And, if you feel your music needs a drummer or a bass player, you can recruit other people to add to your tracks to make your song the best it can be. The perfect multi-user digital audio workstation for anyone who loves making music.
Multiplayer Piano
Multiplayer Piano is a cool website that allows anyone to play the piano together or alone. It’s not super sophisticated so you won’t be able to save or record your tracks, but you’ll be able to invite friends and have a blast jamming together. It’s a fun way to kill an hour or two when you’re bored.
Plink
Plink is a super cool, slightly addictive, interactive game where you and your friends can make music with random strangers. It’s really easy to do – just click on start, choose your instrument and move your mouse to make music with friends and strangers!
Codecademy
Do something fun and educational with your friends by signing up for a course to learn to code. Codecademy is a popular, almost no-cost, learning platform hosted on the cloud that offers a variety of expertly created courses for computer programming language. It makes learning to code and designing websites easy and interesting. Plus, you can learn a wide range of programming skills, such as JavaScript, CSS, Python, etc. (The program also offers paid plans for learners to have access to advanced resources and live support.)
Pluto.TV
If you haven’t stumbled onto Pluto.TV yet, you’ll surely be glad you did. The site offers over 250 channels of the best videos, documentaries, sports, and real-time news, along with 1000s of on-demand movies and TV shows on an online cable system. All the channels are streamlined so you and your friends can watch them together. It’s pretty cool, but the best part is, you don’t need a password and it’s totally free! Be sure to check this one out!
Smule
Singing with your friends around the world has never been easier! With Smule, you can sing and make music with friends and fans around the world. Karaoke solo or create a duet with friends near or far. You can also sing duets with major artists like Ed Sheeran and Luis Fonsi, sing a capella solo or with a group and dance or play along to top hits. Plus, it’s free!
Twiddla
Twiddla is an online whiteboard typically used in classrooms, but it’s fun even outside of school. You can mark up websites, graphics, and photos or start drawing on a blank canvas where you and your friends can draw together. It’s free, user-friendly, and no registration is required.