The lack of wearable technology created just for teenagers is surprising, especially when you consider how tech-obsessed kids are: the average American teen spends 7.5 hours consuming media, while 70% of 13 to 17 year olds now own a smartphone. A new startup called Ringblingz wants to tap into this potentially lucrative market.

Ringblingz, which will start taking pre-orders in March, is currently part of the connected devices accelerator program launched in December by digital agency R/GA and Techstars.

Its first product, a smart ring that will make its public debut tomorrow at New York Fashion Week, focuses on what’s most important to teens—their social lives—by sending them alerts from favorite contacts on different social media channels so they don’t have to constantly check their phones. Photos won’t be available until the ring is unveiled, but head of marketing Jeanniey Mullen gave me a sneak peek. It looks like a signet ring and has an O-shaped diffused light on top that flashes different colors.

The first Ringblingz is aimed at teen girls and the most avid consumers will probably be high schoolers aged 15 to 17, says Mullen. The device taps into two lucrative markets: teens in the U.S. spend a total of about $208 billion each year on things for themselves, while the wearable tech market hit $8 billion last year.

READ MORE:  http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/07/ringblingz/

RINGBLINGZ ALSO FEATURED IN A FASHION WEEK SHOW:  http://bit.ly/1lGNTFq

VIEW THEIR WEBSITE:  http://ringblingz.com/