You encourage illegal activities for youngsters? Good way to get him started by not knowing the regs or if a license is needed or not. Guess it doesn't matter if it is illegal or not,just let him have fun you say.
He lives in NY lets see what it says?
You need to take a trappers education course before you can purchase a license.
Good way for him to start out. Just let him have fun. You wouldn't mind if he went out shooting deer in your area without a license as long as he is having fun I guess.
http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/wildlife_pdf/08guidecont.pdf