Spider-Man being a kid in the Marvel Cinematic Universe benefitted Iron Man's arc more than Peter Parker's. Officially introduced in the franchise via 2016's Captain America: Civil War, the web-slinging hero has appeared in a total of five films, with another one on the way in the untitled Spider-Man 3. While reception to this take on the character has been generally positive, it's not without criticisms, and some of them may have to do with the decision to make him a teenager.
Tom Holland is not only the youngest actor to play a live-action Spider-Man, his version of the Marvel hero also is. When he debuted in Civil War and subsequently in his first solo film, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter Parker was 15 years old. Given the time-jump between Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, he's supposed to be around 21, but because he was one of those who were snapped out of existence due to Thanos' decimation, he remains about 16 years old. Marvel Studios leaned on the idea that Peter is young, with his solo films mostly having a coming-of-age vibe mixed in with MCU's typical fanfare.
Further highlighting this idea, Marvel Studios also tied Peter's story to Tony Stark. This somehow makes sense considering that it was the genius, billionaire Avenger who first found him and effectively introduced him to the bigger MCU by recruiting him to fight Team Captain America in Civil War. But while Peter and Tony's dynamic is one of the most integral - not to mention the most fun to watch in the franchise - it's not immune to backlash, particularly with how Spider-Man's adventures have been mostly tethered to his mentor's. Given this, it's becoming more apparent that Marvel Studios' decision to tackle a much younger web-slinging hero was to give Iron Man an impressionable mentee. If the franchise incorporated a well-established Spider-Man who's capable and confident in his place in the world, he wouldn't need someone like Tony to guide him throughout his journey.
Much has been said about how integral Iron Man has been to MCU Spider-Man's narrative. But looking at it from the flipside, there's an argument to be made that Peter was as important, if not more, to Tony's story, especially in its final chapter. His connection with the young hero taught him how to be more of a father figure without having his own son yet. Initially, he was reluctant to take Spider-Man as a mentee in Homecoming, afraid of the responsibility that came with it. Ultimately, he came around and took on the role head-on. This prepared him to be the eventual father that he was to Morgan years after, doting, supportive, and most importantly, present.
Spider-Man's relationship with Iron Man also helped the latter to come to terms with his hang-ups with his own father. As revealed throughout the MCU, Howard Stark was never warm to Tony. He was barely a part of his son's childhood because he was always occupied with his work at SHIELD. Once he learned first-hand how difficult it is to be a father in his earlier days mentoring Peter, he developed sympathy for the older Stark, making it so much easier for him to forgive and more importantly, understand Howard as seen in their final encounter in Endgame.
Finally, Spider-Man being Iron Man's mentee is a manifestation of the latter's obsession with his legacy — something that had been a motivation for him since his origins movie. This was briefly tackled in Homecoming as Peter claimed he wanted to be like Tony, but it was further explored in Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home. As Happy Hogan told a grieving Spider-Man, Iron Man wouldn't have sacrificed himself in the fighter against Thanos if he wasn't sure that his contemporary is back to continue protecting Earth. The problem with this, however, is that Spider-Man isn't anyone's successor; he's his own hero and Marvel Cinematic Universe should honor that.
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