Behaviour issues Fortnite

OP - what game mode is he playing? Build? No-build? Vs? Box fights? Some of the game modes are absolutely frantic & ppl of any age end up stressed by them. The least stressful is no-build, perhaps encourage him in that direction?

What actually is the behaviour you're concerned about?

And to the others wittering about gaming & Fortnite in particular (especially those questioning the parenting of others over it) give it a rest cos it's quite clear you've not a clue what you're talking about.

My son is the same age and I don’t allow him to play Fortnite. There’s a very small percentage of his class that play this particular game and their parenting is questionable imo.

You are right to limit this more.

5 hours a day?! That’s WAY too much and doesn’t allow for much family time either.

So he’s in Y4? Sorry I agree with the others, it’s inappropriate for him to be playing it, despite what other parents allow.

Your son is showing you that it’s not good for him to be gaming, his behaviour shows you it’s not positive. So take the console away and change hobbies. Hes 9, not 19.

Weekends Only. The End!
Max 5hrs per day. The End!

Out of touch with what?

Wanting to be their child's friend instead of their parent? I think most would be proud to be out of touch in that case.

Those saying a 9 year old shouldn’t be playing Fortnite are so out of touch.

Seriously, he's nine! Take the bloody games console off him and get him to engage in the real world rather than spending 2 or 3 hours on a game that's not even age-appropriate. I'm sure there'll be tantrums to start with but hold the line and he'll come through it.

2-3 hours?! That's madness

Or... All the other parents will thank you for being the first to ban it so they can do the same!

No 9 year old should be playing 12+ rated games. Age restrictions are there for a reason.

He shouldn’t be on it at 9, let alone 3 hours a time.

You are the parent. You make the choices. Just get rid of it.

He is 9. The rating for the game is 12 from what I understand and is considered one of the most addictive games. That should say all you need to know. If it is harmful for him and not age appropriate then you make the decision as a responsible adult and parent to not have it. End of. No every other day / time limits, he has clearly shown you he cannot regulate this. So you don’t allow it at all. Yes he may grumble and kick up a fuss, he is 9, that’s what kids do, he is not old enough to make this decision and even when playing clearly he is not happy either and it is having an impact on the whole family. Step up and be a parent that puts in place boundaries to do the right thing for your child.

OP, be a parent. At 9, it really won't effect friendships all that much. Ds has played with many friends. One of his best friends didn't play at all until 12 and they still had the closest friendship throughout primary school.

Any behaviour issues, it would be gone. 9 year olds don't need Fortnite, stop with the "every other day". There is no need. He can't regulate himself, so do it for him and remove it

I think you’re holding yourself to ransom here with the worries over how it’ll affect his friendships.

It sounds like his behaviour is terrible for your entire household after he’s played this game, so I think he should be told in no uncertain terms that any meltdowns/attitude/behaviour issues stop immediately or the console is gone. Why is a 9 year old being allowed to cause such unrest for an entire family?

If he keeps the behaviour up, you follow through with removal of the console and any impact on friendships is down to him, not you. He’ll learn that playing the game without going nuts afterwards is better than not playing at all.

Oh I should say, my DS is 10.

My DS is not allowed Fortnite. He has never played it, and actually is allowed very little gaming time at all generally.

He has lots of friends, and him not playing it doesn’t seem to present any problems. In fact, he is increasingly telling me stories from school of how Fortnite is disrupting friendships rather than strengthening them, so I’m glad he doesn’t play.

He shouldn't be playing fornite at the age of 9. It is not for 9 year olds. He clearly can't handle it and you need to be a parent and take this inappropriate game away from him. It's causing issues with his behaviour and in your family.
Actually do what's right.

One of mine is like this. He cannot moderate his gaming and then regulate his emotions. He has ADHD, which probably contributes. We had to just ban those things. There was no way of successfully implementing limits for him. It was either accepting his dysregulation and addictive tendencies with it, or banning it completely.

How old is he and his many hours does he play per day?

You're enabling this by letting him keep his console or pc, like trying to limit the drinks an alcoholic is having.

I don’t have a time limit per se but my rule for all gaming is that if gaming is making you grumpy or rude, affecting your behaviour or causes problems at school then gaming will be drastically cut back. All school work is completed first, family activities take priority and bedtime is non negotiable. And if I can hear lots of yelling and inappropriate language it goes off instantly.

I didn’t allow Fortnite until age nearly eleven and then it was fairly quickly removed again for a month when it was causing friendship dramas that spilled into school. Once resumed it seemed like he’s been less obsessive about it, I think he’s decided he prefers FIFA these days anyway.

In your situation OP I’d just take it away. Why would you continue to allow your child to do something that causes poor behaviour, arguments with friends and meltdowns and which is clearly making your entire family miserable? Gaming is supposed to be a bit of fun not a device for family torture.