I was 12. I had access to an Apple 2 at home, and it came with a booklet on Apple Basic. But let me say this as well - you'll get a lot of people here quoting

I was 12. I had access to an Apple 2 at home, and it came with a booklet on Apple Basic. But let me say this as well - you'll get a lot of people here quoting young ages. That doesn't mean you -have- to start young. I often hear the same question with music. Lots of people started young. But equally lots of people start old, it's just not a story. I started playing drums at 20. People I went to college either had never seen a computer before 20. Age is just a number. There's no virtue in starting young. Ultimately it doesn't really impact every you can end up. It's just a signal that you have an interest, and got an opportunity to indulge that interest young. Side annecdote - I remember one moment really well. I'd read a bit of the Basic manual and then had to go off to school. On the way home I deduced that the language must have an IF statement. In hindsight it's obvious, but what I remember most was the deduction itself. Being correct (which I verified a few minutes later) seemed like a very powerful thing. I feel like maybe it was the first thing I consciously figured out that wasnt taught to me by an adult or book.