Milo - the first time ya kid gets beat up for playing the violin he'll never touch it again
All kidding aside - both my boys went through it (required as part of musical course) about the same age and my wife rented 'em. One word of caution (Derf might weigh in here) a friend of her's kid damaged a rented instrument and it cost a fortune to repair . . . there may be an "insurance option" that you might consider if your guy is prone that way
otherwise just make sure you keep tabs on it.