While it is important to pay attention in school and to avoid distractions, a little time off from study is necessary to recharge your batteries and give your brain a break. The problem is that many schools want to ensure that students stay focused on their lessons and to make sure that this is the case, they block websites and applications that are designed for leisure or that are deemed as having little educational value. While this is understandable, even the most disciplined minds need some time for entertainment. You would still be able to access Wikipedia and other sources of information but if you try to access social media websites or YouTube, you will likely face an error message that prevents you from moving forward.
If you want to avoid blocks imposed in your school in order to access videos, check your social media accounts and stay in touch with friends, your only option is to use a VPN. While some may think that a proxy can also do the trick and help you to get access to content regardless of the restrictions set by your school, the truth is that it is not an effective solution in this case. The IT department in your school will probably have settings in place to prevent the use or proxies since they are the first option considered in these cases. A VPN is more advanced and more difficult to disable. That is why it is the way to go if your want to enjoy websites and applications without restrictions while you are at school.
Besides being an effective method to unlock online content, a VPN also offers a level of security that you can’t get from a proxy. When you use a VPN, your connection is encrypted, meaning that the data transferred is secure and almost impossible to access by eavesdroppers and malicious hackers. Using a VPN allows you to browse internet freely and helps you to keep your privacy protected. It is important to choose the right provider for your needs, but before we get to the five best options available, we’ll take a look at some useful tips to enjoy popular applications that are likely to be blocked at your school.
Unlocking Social Media Websites at School
For millions of users, Social Media sites like Twitter and Facebook have become essential to interact with friends and family across the world and to discover the latest news. However, these social networking platforms are in the top list of what your school is likely to block. Other popular applications like Instagram, Whatsapp and Snapchat are also targeted and if you try to access them using your school’s connection, they will not be available. As previously mentioned, a VPN is the solution to unblock these sites and applications and keeping in mind the below will help you to get the best out of them.
First of all, it is important to choose a good provider. The services in our list are some of the most reliable options available.
Once you have selected your VPN provider, make sure that you subscribe to a plan that suits your needs.
These providers have mobile apps or provide the option to configure the VPN with your mobile device. This will allow you to access social media networks anywhere in your school campus.
While OpenVPN is the most secure protocol, most providers also support PPTP and L2TP/IPsec as these are more convenient for mobile devices.
You can select the server that meets your requirements. For instance, if you want to access an application or content that is only available in the United States, you will need to connect to a server located in that country.
Using a VPN will not only allow you to evade restrictions applied by your school but also geo-blocks set up in your location. Additionally, a VPN will reinforce the security of the data that you send and receive through Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat or Whatsapp.
What VPN Providers Should You Consider?
IPVanish (Read Review or Visit Website)
With servers in over 60 countries and a fast and reliable service, IPVanish is one of the most convenient solutions for students who want freedom to browse internet and to stay in touch with their friends. This VPN service is fast and supports unlimited streaming no matter where you are. You can use thousands of IPs to get access to social media networks and media. You can also use VoiPs and your data is protected with top encryption. If you subscribe for one year, the price per month would be just $6.49.
PureVPN (Read Review or Visit Website)
Another great option to unlock your favourite sites and apps while you are at school is PureVPN. This provider has an impressive network of over 500 servers in 141 countries, giving you great flexibility to browse internet and to stream content. Since PureVPN is an affordable option (the monthly cost when you subscribe for a full year is just $3.75), it is ideal for students, who often have budget constraints.
Private Internet Access (Read Review or Visit Website)
PIA combines top security and great speed to give you a consistently good service that will help you to protect your privacy and enjoy internet with freedom. PIA gives you the possibility of unblocking content easily and it keeps your anonymity through a network of servers in over 20 countries. It is another practical solution for students as the monthly price when you have a 12-month subscription is just $3.33
ExpressVPN (Read Review or Visit Website)
Outstanding speed and flexibility are just two of the reasons why ExpressVPN is a great solution to unlock content banned in your school. You can rely on the security and the efficient performance of this provider which gives you access to servers in nearly 80 countries. You can easily switch between servers and enjoy online streaming without hassle for $8.32 per month, if your subscribe for a full year.
HideMyAss (Read Review or Visit Website)
This popular provider is the preferred solution for many users around the world thanks to its advanced technology and great selection of features. HideMyAss offers impressive functionality and flexibility to keep your information private and to enjoy internet without boundaries based on location or imposed by your school. They have servers in 210 countries and when you subscribe for one year, the monthly price is just $6.55.
