Bryan, I've just been through this with both of my boys (age 17 and 16). About 7 years ago I bought them a 3/4 size Yamaha acoustic. It didn't get played much.
Two years ago, my younger son decided he wanted an Electric for his birthday. My wife and I went shopping and the guitar store recommended a BC Rich Warlock (in red)..it looked cool too!!
Turns out this is not a great starter electric. A few months later I happened on a Japanese made Strat (sunburst) for a GREAT deal..$200. My son loves this guitar.
About 3 months ago my oldest decided he wanted guitar lessons, so we let him use the Warlock to see what kind of commitment he had. After a few lessons his instructor mentioned that he should probably get a better guitar to learn on. I found a used Line 6 that I thought was way cool, but the instructor thought he would always be fiddling with knobs..that it might be too complicated and recommended a used Epiphone Les Paul Custom (G-400 custom) It looked like new..it's an ivory colored reissue of the Gibson '61 Les Paul. 3 pickups. It came with a fitted hard case. Got everything for $300.
Anyway, I would A:buy used if you can find something he likes, and B: don't hesitate to go electric if he has that desire.
I have heard that it is easier to learn on an electric, but I don't play...