Hi there
yes and no is the answer.
She'll need the computer to activate and then to copy things like photos, music etc
However she can download this stuff from iTunes remotely but she'll have to pay for them.
You could set her up a dropbox account and download the dropbox app onto the phone. She would then be able to keep some files there and then you could upload files to her dropbox folder for her which she'll be able to access remotely.
Ultimately though, if she wants to constantly upload playlists videos etc then she'll need a computer if she doesn't want to constantly bug you.
Saying all of this, I have an iPhone and apart from the first sync, it's never conncted to my computer.
Cheers
Richard