Like this it does make sense for learning and it can be done locally on a regular PC. No need to even have it running more than 5h/ week.
Only start it when trying something.

There are other more interesting things to learn and setup. Something like a honeypot.

I was considering it.
There is the cost for the vps which would have to be separate in "quarantine" from the rest of our stuff.
Extra cost. $6/ Month sounds cheap but it's not unless you really feel the need to spend 5+ hours a day troubleshooting the tech side.

Then there is the risk of becoming a platform for pedophiles and terrrists.

More time going in that for moderating it and not risk getting our cloud account banned because we hosted illegal stuff - even if it's by mistake it's still a risk to get the whole account shut down.

Only way I can see this works is for someone who is knowledgeable enough or has trusted people who are knowledgeable to keep the server clean.

It's a fun experience I bet but too risky.
Learning to setup infra is a great chance but there are other ways to learn and still not contribute to internet filth or spam.

Better a few big sites than 1000 small unmaintained ones.