That's still on the parents. My little lad is 15 and never had his own phone until his tweens. Amusingly, he was older than me when I got my first phone back in the 90s.

He never got bullied for not having a phone.

Not just pressure to get a fancy phone but that most of the socializing happens on social media now. Even if they sit in the same class, it's a snapchat message.

If they don't have access to it, they're social outcasts by default.

It's fucking crazy..

I think if the kids want to bully, they'd just find a lonely and defenseless target and invent an excuse. If you are a potential target, having an expensive phone wouldn't save you anyway.

Or you could say "and were shocked at the results"! It's nice of you to highlight how people communicate differently even with a shared language, the world would be so boring if everyone was the same.