I have a kid starting middle school in the fall. She does not have her own phone and neither do any of her friends. None of her friends have home phones, either. So how do middle schoolers talk to each other over summer break? I'm assuming her situation is not unique, so this is a general question.
Oh dear Summer child! What do you think happened in the 70s and 80s, when literally nobody had a mobile? They arrange a time and place and meet. Then they play until the set curfew.
Are social media chat programs on desktop machines not a thing anymore?