What phone a 13 years old should get?

[General]

That depends highly on what features you really need and what your budget is.

From the criteria you've mentioned, I think your best choice would be a low-end smartphone. They'll have decent cameras, music players, touchscreens, access to apps, and web browsing (which will let you do Instagram and more).

To keep things affordable, look for a used phone. I got one of my smartphones for about 1/6 (that's not a typo--one sixth) of the new price off eBay. A model of phone that was released about two years ago will be drastically reduced in price, but similar in features to many of the popular phones today.

I personally prefer Android phones. Anything from the Motorola Droid or Atrix line is good (I have a Motorola Droid Pro and Atrix 2 myself). Samsung makes a wide variety of phones, from not-that-good to some of the best in the world. If you prefer Apple, the iPhone 3G, 4, 4S, etc. are all available at greatly reduced prices now that the iPhone 5 is out, but they're still more expensive than a comparable Android phone. I would not recommend a BlackBerry because they seem to be dying out and usually cost more than a similar Android or Apple phone.

If you don't think you need a smartphone, you could always get a "dumbphone" with a lot of features. LG makes a wide range of non-smartphones with touchscreens, cameras, and all kinds of features, but you won't be able to get apps.


IN SUMMARY: The best phone you can get for your money is probably a used Motorola or Samsung smartphone from 2011. Check eBay, check local listings, see if anyone you know is selling theirs. By going with a recently "obsolete" model, you'll get a lot more phone for your money and have something just as good as your friends.