Fortnite Age

[Tailfeather]

How old were your kids when they started playing Fortnite? My son is 7 and lots of his friends play. If I set up the parental controls should it be ok or is it the content that is dangerous? I need a 'Fortnite For Dummies' guide! Thank you for your help!

Nephew played it at 11. Still think he was a bit too young. Def wouldn’t if he’s 7. It’s about shooting and 7 year olds shouldn’t be playing it.

My concern with Fortnite is not the game itself but rather how addicted they get to it and how quickly. My son is 10 and plays with his friends and cousins...it becomes all consuming and they get so narky with each other when things don't go their way.

I would delay letting him play as long as you can!

And your point is?

Our school had the police talk to the children about computer games, and they told them that Fortnite isn’t appropriate for under 14s.

I’ve held off games with my (older) DC and they don’t miss what they haven’t had. Yes, their friends play, but they are busy with other activities so don’t sit around feeling like they’re missing out.

My son was 11 but most of his friends started playing it around 8. He was literally the last boy in his school year to be allowed to start playing.

He's pretty chill about it. He went through a phase of playing it a lot when he was first allowed, but has cooled off it now and gotten back into Minecraft. He might play a couple of games a couple of times a week. Definitely no addiction factor and he and his friends are expected to be polite to each other while playing (which they are) or have the plug pulled.

My son is 8 . It’s been fine. It is a bit addictive though . Perhaps hold off a year ?

My son is 9.5 yrs and not allowed it, he’s not really asked though and I don’t get the impression his friends play. Certainly no requests ‘because everyone else is playing it.’

None of my kids ages 7-15 play or have ever played any computer games including Fortnite, nor have they asked to. They have better things to do with their childhoods. I don’t understand why anyone would want their children to spend time doing this. They don’t learn anything good from it, just an addiction so that eventually everything that isn’t a flashing light and giving points for violent acts on a screen starts to feel flat to them and they decide everything else is ‘boring’. It’s been shown that it makes it hard for them to get pleasure from everyday things because they get conditioned to the buzz the computer games offer. That is how the games keep you hooked. What is wrong with letting them play on bikes, going for walks, board games, reading? I have lived and worked in war zones and parents go to extraordinary lengths to prevent the damage done to kids of seeing violence and the aftermath and yet here are stacks of parents letting their kids participate in it for ‘fun’. I don’t think it matters if it is monsters or people they are shooting, how can it be healthy for their brains to get a kick or satisfaction or points out of shooting someone/thing? I’d say keep them away from it for as long as possible and let them be children. It doesn’t matter what other kids are doing…

It’s entirely possible for kids to happily swim, walk, bike, play board games, surf, scoot, love searching through rockpools at the beach, play with their pets, read books, make art and crafts, go to Scouts or Guides or do any other of the huge range of activities out there, and also enjoy computer/video games without getting addicted.

My son played Fortnite for a while, then he lost interest and has gone back to Minecraft mostly these days. He does not find anything that doesn’t have flashing lights and gore “flat and dull”. Just last night we were going to Scouts and he commented how cool it was to see the new moon cradling the old, and we stood and talked about different stars and planets for a while in the dark. He is a thoughtful and balanced kid who enjoys a range of activities.

My brother and I grew up with some of the earliest computer/video games, some of which involved shooting, jousting, sword fights, and even destroying villages. We are both intelligent contributing members of society and have a strong anti-gun stance in real life.

Catastrophising about computer games and making dire predictions about their negative effects on kids has been going on for four decades. You are just making yourself look silly and paranoid by getting on your high horse and acting like they’re the doorway to delinquency.

It doesn’t have to be one or the other.. my nephew plays Fortnite and is out the house doing hobbies and extra curricular actives 4-5 nights out of 7.

My 9 year old dd is currently having a quick game of fortnite before bed. She's been at school until 3, played out with her friends, done homework, had football training and her music lesson before this so I don't think there's any harm in a bit of screen time. Everything in moderation as they say and if your child is one who can't handle it without losing temper/ getting stressed by the game then it gets taken away.

@Outd00rs Funny, I grew up on Super Mario and Tekken 2 and managed to become a respectable adult with a professional job who likes literary fiction and the outdoors and generally takes joy in life. Alongside spending hours playing video games my childhood also managed to include a huge amount of ranging free outdoors in the countryside with my pals on our bikes, exploring nature, enjoying various hobbies and clubs, playing board games, spending time with family etc.

Games are just a form of entertainment and aren’t inherently worse than any other form, as long as moderated by parents and age appropriate. And they vary enormously, not all have violent aspects to them.

We've just hit a fortnite problem too - My son doesn't want Fortnite. He says that it is 'brain rot' (his words not mine) and he thinks he'd get addicted and doesn't want to be 'boring enough to just talk about that and nothing else'.

HOWEVER - he can't talk to/play with his friends anymore because they only want to talk about/play Fortnite. They won't talk Minecraft or play football, swap football card etc anymore. It's so sad that he feels like he might just start playing it (if we allow. I'm unsure on this!) to have friends he can relate to again.