Like I said in the comment in the article, I like the idea of recommending cameras to kids and applaud DPR for looking into this area…but I also think that they should consider used DSLRs and not pay so much attention to getting the most compact setups possible.
With less than $200, you can easily get a used Nikon D50/70/100, or a Canon 300/350/400/450/1000/20D. Those cameras offer full manual control, good feature sets, very good image quality (better than the compact options, and arguably better than the Nikon 1 series), and IMO would make great learning platforms. You also have access to a large selection of cheap glass that can be natively mounted. With Nikon, that includes old MF glass.
Started out doing photography at the age of 6 using an uncle's old 1940 kodak brownie box camera. At 15 years of age, I decided to buy my very own 1975 Praktica SLR camera. I now shoot with a Nikon D850. I do unpaid TFP and commercial paid work.