Advocating for the educational value of participating online gets complicated. You think you have located some good services at a reasonable fee, describe the benefits, get a few people excited, and then learn that what you are suggesting may violate some federal law.
It appears that Google really does expect you to be at least 13 before you can use Google to create content. It seems there is this law called COPPA and if you have yet to reach your 13th birthday, the government is here to protect you.
What is the situation with Google for Education and COPPA – Google says that the schools are responsible for assuring compliance – get approval from parents. Must say that keeping track of consent forms – who turned one in and who has not is a significant challenge.