Exactly. And the "sensor size myth" is nothing a kid should (or would) care about.

There are some very good YouTube channels talking about micro four thirds cameras, which are still a good choice, especially when used as a camera to carry every day.

Disclaimer, own and use full frame, APS-C, and even Ixus and Powershot cameras which all can produce decent images if one knows how and when to use them. Oh, smartphone, of course.

This. My humble setup is a Sony a100 with some good old Minolta lenses.

Yep, an online acquaintance gifted me an Olympus 35 RC he hadn’t touched in decades. My 35 DC was <$200 last year. My E-M5ii was <$500 years ago.

Yeah, the first two are 35mm film, but they’re phenomenal cameras within the scope of what they are (fixed lens rangefinders - basically the 1970s version of today’s Fuji X100). The E-M5 hasn’t let me down, and the latest models from OM don’t offer enough to make me upgrade (and I have little desire to switch mounts).