Sounds like it's running on the ragged edge of not enough gas, or too heavy of a BCG/Spring, or weak ammo, but it really needs to be able to cycle even the weak ammo within reason, so I'd look at increasing gas, or decreasing spring tension or BCG mass. Also, this will likely settle a bit with time and round count as things wear in and slick up and the springs settles in.
Being an adult, you have more mass to push against the recoil which is letting it go back far enough to feed, but as you found, sometimes not enough to catch a bolt catch. Your 13yo son is letting the recoil push him back a little more, which will take momentum out of the BCG and short stroke the action.
I would bet you can replicate the issue if you softened up your shoulder on the rifle and let the recoil move you a bit more.