This is the perfect sized Chromebook for a younger child or student up through middle school. I love that it was very easy to set up a Google gmail account, even under 13 with the family settings and parent controls. The account had to go through me in order to confirm it could be set up. Make sure the Chromebook is fully updated before trying to add a new child account.  So yes, you must have a gmail account to use a Chromebook. But it is completely worth it!This Chromebook is very well priced, and perfect for a child. I feel better knowing if my child breaks it, that it was a low cost machine. The machine still feels solid, despite the smaller screen and size.This Chromebook is perfect for word processing, presentations, and all the basic software a student will and should need. This will gets lots of use, and I highly recommend!