The economy is in the doldrums, and that means it’s even more important that parents, grandparents and other out-of-touch grown-ups don’t waste their hard-earned money on holiday gifts a teenager will never use.

But in trying to suss out that perfect gift, it’s best to avoid the porn said teenager has hidden under the bed.

A new commercial for the videogame retailer GameStop shows the unfortunate unintended consequences that could occur if a parent goes rooting around a teen’s room looking for hints of what he or she might want for the holidays.

The ad resists the urge to overplay the message, instead relying on the image of shocked and slightly sickened Mom, distraught Dad and a pile of blurred magazines to get the point across. It’s a clever concept that also addresses a real problem -- finding just the right gifts for finicky teenagers.

Of course, some people will be offended by the fact that a teenager has naughty magazines to begin with. Conversely, some will be offended that the parents would invade the teen’s privacy.

And on a broader level, it’s naturally a bit selfish to request holiday gifts unprompted, and perhaps GameStop will get some chiding for promoting that kind of thing. But as anyone who’s every stood helplessly at the mall on Dec. 24 knows, sometimes a little unsolicited help is better than a disastrous and costly impulse buy.

As a (rare) bonus, the "hint or else" Web site is actually pretty well done, mostly because it largely resists the urge to be snarky or obnoxious. A neat little "hint generator" offers users the option of picking a greeting (i.e. "best mom who ever lived" or "best-looking girlfriend ever"). Users then move along to the set up (options include "I just heard December is this crazy, worldwide gift-giving month") before selecting the games or other items they want to put on their wish list. The system will e-mail the request for you, in a bid to get the sale.

Of course, between a weak economy and a highly competitive marketplace, there’s no guaranteeing GameStop will get the business even if the gift giver gets the hint.