It's all very well talking about the good old garden cane, string, bent pin and tiddler apprenticeship days. Not a myth, they certainly did exist back in the 60's and 70's, been there, wore out the grubby t shirt. But mainly because there were loads and loads of bits of free water for us kids to fish in and without everyone worrying about us all the damned time, kicking us off or trying to 'organise' us.
These days ? Most free or town stretches have been gobbled up, parcelled out to clubs and others whowon't or can't (because, for example,health and safety insurance considerations, amongst others)have kids near 'em. Club tickets and day tickets are costly, even for juniors. And its all very well, but the junior now needs a senior to be allowed on the water even with a ticket in the first place.
Me, I grew up with no family elder into fishing. So if I were 14 these days I'd be stymied, have to stick to my bike, model aircraft and books..... would never have the chance to even try fishing, let alone get hooked.
Too many times I look on kids as a nuisance as they flail around with a length of solid glassfibre that was out of date before their dads were born, let alone them, making a ruckuss and chucking stones in the water and..... having fun. Like I did at their age. And I then try and stop being a grumpy old b.
Plus the tackle snobbery.... what boy would dare venture near the water these days without his 16 m two grand pole or matched set of whatevers.... the answer is pretty obvious, not many. And they don't and they aren't, and if that continues then fishing is on its way to minority sport and extinction.
So maybe the answer to BarbelBonce's question isn't to ask if the evidently keen young lad is anangler or not, but to ask whetheryou might not be able to help him to become a better and more rounded one.