I got my period when I was 11 and I used tampons on/off starting that summer. The first time I used them I wasn't bleeding that much so it was just terrible, but eventually I got it right and started using them. At my school I was basically one of the only girls who had her period, and my school had crazy bathroom rules, there was 4 minutes in between each class, and that included your locker time, bathroom time, and the time to actually get to class (which meant a lot of sprinting, because if you were late 3 times you got a detention, and the campus was fucking huge). Because of this I really couldn't deal with having to change tampons and pads during school, it just took too long (although sometimes I would go to the nurse where I was allowed to take my time), so I would wear a pad and a tampon in the morning, and during my lunchtime bathroom break I'd just pull out the tampon and already have the pad in my underwear. And I wouldn't have to deal with bringing pads to school, which was embarassing for 11 year old me.

After I lost my virginity (around 15) I started only using tampons. Now (at 16) I'm a menstrual cup convert.