Are you sure he needs a phone? Maybe for the sake of humanity he should just read a book.
phones aren't like ipods
phones not only cost you something every month, but they are often important
what if he needed to call his mother because he got shot on the way home from school, and he didn't have a phone?
what if he witnessed a murder on the other side of the street, how would he call the police?
maybe he would need a phone to orchestrate the drug deal he was about to take part in?