VPNs, Workarounds… and Why Blocking Doesn’t Work

If you’ve ever set up parental controls and thought, “Job done,” this episode is a must-listen. This week on Algorithm & Blues, Keith, Tom, and Ciara look at the hidden side of kids' online lives: VPNs and workarounds. Far from being "hacker-level" tech, bypassing digital restrictions has become a normal, everyday problem-solving exercise for teenagers. The VPN Basics: What they actually are, how kids download them in minutes, and why they render standard parental filters useless. The Psychology of the Block: Why restriction creates a "forbidden fruit" effect and how over-policing drives kids to hide their behavior. The Real Danger: It’s not just what they are seeing; it's that you no longer know that they are seeing it. Moving Beyond Blocking: Practical, real-world strategies you can start tonight to build digital trust instead of digital walls.