Subject: Written clarification requested: Gemini API BYOK in a high-school learning app
We’re building WhyWrong, a student learning app intended for high-school students, including users under 18. It helps explain academic mistakes and offers practice. We want to comply with the Gemini API terms and are seeking a written answer from someone authorized to interpret them.
The current Gemini API Additional Terms say the API user must be 18 or older, that the API must not be used as part of an app directed to or likely to be accessed by under-18s, and that the API is for professional or business purposes, not consumer use.
Would the terms permit either of these setups?
A. WhyWrong’s server sends requests using one API key owned and paid for by the app operator.
B. True BYOK: each user supplies their own Gemini API key and pays Google directly; the key is not sent to WhyWrong’s server. The user’s requests are made through WhyWrong’s app.
For each setup, please clarify:
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Does the under-18 app restriction apply when a user supplies and pays for their own key?
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Does parental or school consent, a verified 18+ gate, or restricting the Gemini feature to key-holders change the answer?
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Does the “professional or business purposes, not for consumer use” clause prohibit a public-facing educational app even if the operator is a business?
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Is the answer different for free versus paid Gemini API usage, or for Vertex AI?
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If either setup could be allowed, what exact account type, controls, written approval, or contract amendment would be required?
Please direct this question to the team responsible for the applicable terms. We are not asking for a general technical answer. We will not enable the affected features for students until we receive clarification.