My kids got phones at some point early in middles school because they were taking the bus and walking home, and getting dropped off at sports practices. All of a sudden it was “where did all the pay phones go?” We were pretty much left without a choice.
There was no social media until the spring/summer before HS. While I made that choice again with the rest of the kids, I realized at that point that it was not without costs. While it kept her away from the drama my D was very much “out” of the inside jokes and what was going on with everyone. It made it harder for her do be part of the group.
Similarly, while we were not into video games we bought an Xbox when S was in second grade. The only thing everyone talked about at school was Minecraft and he had no idea what it was and couldn’t really join in the conversation.