Fortnite advice for parents

Fortnite has become ubiquitous amongst many young people. Players who compete in the Battle Royale version are dropped onto the game map and compete with ninety nine other players to be the last one standing. What are some of the online safety challenges of Fornite? The multi-player nature of the game can present some challenges…

Fortnite characters on blue gradient

Fortnite has become ubiquitous amongst many young people. Players who compete in the Battle Royale version are dropped onto the game map and compete with ninety nine other players to be the last one standing.

What are some of the online safety challenges of Fornite?

The multi-player nature of the game can present some challenges and risks for gamers. The chat features can mean exposure to offensive language, inappropriate content and contact from strangers. Turning off the voice chat function or ensuring they’re teaming up with friends are actions parents can take if concerned about a child’s use of Fortnite.

What is the most common concern?

The most common concern raised by parents about Fortnite is that kids react very badly to being asked to stop playing.

For parents who use the “stop at the end of the next round” negotiation tactic, it’s useful to know the average Battle Royale lasts about 20 minutes, but most players are knocked out earlier.

There are also much longer form creative and coop versions of the game – so it’s worth checking which version they’re playing!

What’s Netsafe’s advice?

As with any online safety issue, we know that having regular and open conversations with your children about their use of online games such as Fortnite helps mitigate potential harm.

Encourage your child to share with you if they have upsetting experiences and make sure they’re aware that any harassment, inappropriate language, bullying or hacking can be reported through the ‘Email us’ function.

ONLINE SAFETY PARENT TOOLKIT

You’re currently within the ‘Learn’ section of our Online Safety Parent Toolkit where we encourage you to find out what your child’s virtual world looks like.

This is the second step in our seven step framework designed to help parents and whānau with digital parenting in a rapidly changing world.  We recommend reading through each step of the Toolkit as this will guide you on how to support your child to confidently access digital opportunities and reduce online harm.

CONTACT NETSAFE

If you’re concerned about the immediate safety of you or someone else, please call 111. If you want help or expert incident advice, you can contact us. Our service is free, non-judgemental and available seven days a week.

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