Updated on: June 21, 2024
Fortnite is safer for kids than most shooter games. There’s no blood or gore, and defeated enemies simply vanish without leaving a body. That said, the fact remains that its most popular game mode, Battle Royale, tasks players to eliminate each other with recognizable weapons, like shotguns and rifles. Concerns also arise around its chat features and the addictive nature of its gameplay.
The best way to protect your child on Fortnite is to use a parental control app. I recommend Qustodio, which allows you to set time limits on how much Fortnite your kid can play every day, set schedules for when the game is and isn’t available to play, and more. I also share some other tips on how to best protect your child in the game below.
KEEP YOUR KIDS SAFE ON FORTNITE WITH QUSTODIO
What Are the Risks of Fortnite?
- Exposure to violence. While Fortnite’s cartoonish graphics soften the impact, the fact that its core gameplay revolves around using weapons (including a large variety of guns, bows, and melee weapons) to eliminate other players may be a point of concern for parents of younger children.
- Irresponsible spending. While Fortnite is a free-to-play game, it offers numerous in-game purchases through its virtual currency, V-Bucks. Kids are tempted to spend real money to acquire skins, emotes, and battle passes to enhance their gaming experience. Without proper oversight, these microtransactions can quickly add up.
- Bad online interactions. Fortnite allows players to communicate with one another via its built-in voice or text chat. And, as with any game with online interactions, this can potentially expose your child to bullying, inappropriate language, and online predators.
- Addiction. The fast-paced and engaging nature of Fortnite can lead to extended gaming sessions. And this excessive screen time can negatively impact your child’s physical well-being from reduced physical activity, mental well-being from anxiety caused by the competitive nature of the game, and academic well-being from prioritizing gaming over homework or other extracurricular activities.
- Scams. There are many scammers who target kids with promises of free V-Bucks, items, or other benefits through fake websites, giveaways, or social media links. These schemes can trick children into providing personal information or login credentials, leading to account theft or unauthorized charges. A scam that has been particularly prominent recently involves using fake V-Bucks Generator websites to acquire players’s Fortnite account details (including their email addresses) and infect their devices with malware.
What Age Is Fortnite Appropriate For?
Fortnite is rated “T” for Teen by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), an organization that assigns age and content ratings to video games and apps to help consumers, especially parents, make informed decisions about their appropriateness for different age groups. This suggests that Fortnite is suitable for kids ages 13 and up. The game’s rating reflects its cartoonish aesthetic and lack of graphic violence, but also in its competitive nature and inclusion of firearms.
However, parents should keep in mind that the rating doesn’t take into account online interactions. Fortnite includes text and voice chat features that allow players to communicate with one another. This could potentially expose your kid to inappropriate language, cyberbullying, and online predators. Therefore, it’s crucial to assess whether your child is mature enough to handle these interactions responsibly.
Ultimately, official ratings can only provide a general guideline. You know your child best and should make your final judgment based on their individual maturity level and ability to follow rules.
How to Keep Your Kids Safe on Fortnite
Fortnite comes with its share of risks, but with the right precautions, your kid can safely enjoy the game. Here are some tips on how you can protect your kids while they navigate Fortnite’s virtual battlegrounds:
1. Install a Good Quality Parental Control App
Parental control apps can do a lot to keep your kids safe on Fortnite. Here are some relevant features:
- Screen time management. Set time limits on how long your kid can play Fortnite every day and/or set time limits on how long they can use their device for every day.
- Scheduling. Make the Fortnite app or Fortnite-related websites, like guide sites or streaming sites, unavailable at certain times of the day when your kid should be doing homework or sleeping.
- Activity reports. Gain a better understanding of your kid’s activities, including when and how much they’re playing Fortnite.
- Web filtering. Block Fortnite scam sites, including phishing pages and malware-containing sites.
- Social media monitoring. Keep tabs on your kid’s social media interactions to stop Fortnite scammers and online predators.
2. Make Use of Fortnite’s Built-in Parental Controls
Fortnite’s built-in parental controls allow you to:
- Block unauthorized purchases. You can tweak the settings, so your kid needs a parental PIN to make any purchases on the Epic Games store. This includes the purchase of Fortnite V-Bucks. Note that this doesn’t let you block purchases made with in-game currencies — in other words, it won’t stop your kid from spending V-Bucks they already have.
- Turn off online interactions. The Social Permissions tab allows you to control how your kid can interact with others on Fortnite. You can make it so that they have to enter your parental PIN to add a new friend, restrict voice and text chat to friends-only, or turn those features off entirely.
- Filter mature language. When toggled, mature language in Fortnite’s text chat is replaced with heart symbols.
- Track playtime. When toggled, you’ll receive a weekly playtime report that tells you how long your kid has spent playing Fortnite.
To find Fortnite’s parental controls, follow these 3 simple steps:
- Head to the Epic Games website (epicgames.com) and log into your child’s account.
- Hover over the profile button next to the download button in the top right corner and select Account.
- On the next screen, find and click Parental Controls in the side menu. That’s it!
If your child plays Fortnite on console and has never used the Epic Games Store, you’ll need to access the parental controls directly from within Fortnite. To do so, simply launch the game on the console, open the menu (it looks like 3 horizontal bars on top of each other), and click Parental Controls. You can set the exact same restrictions as you can on the Epic Games site.
3. Install Antivirus Software & VPN
Good antivirus software can protect your kid’s devices against phishing attempts and malware that your kid might encounter on 3rd-party Fortnite sites or as links sent through in-game text chat and other third party social media and messaging platforms. Antiviruses like Norton block known malicious sites, such as phishing pages or sites containing malware, and scan downloads for malware to quarantine and remove any threats that can damage your device or steal sensitive data.
If your child makes in-game purchases, I also recommend getting a top-notch VPN .VPNs make all traffic unreadable to third parties, which prevents potential cybercriminals from intercepting your traffic and obtaining sensitive financial information when your kid makes in-app purchases with your credit card.
4. Teach Your Kid About Recognizing and Avoiding Scams
Scammers often target kids with promises of free V-Bucks, items, or other benefits. This is why it’s important to teach your kid to be skeptical about offers that seem too good to be true and avoid websites or social media links offering free V-Bucks or other perks.
Then, explain to your kid how they should only use trusted sources and official websites for in-game purchases and information and tell them how scammers might try to steal personal information through fake links and emails. Encourage them to ask you before clicking on unfamiliar links.
5. Discuss Online Safety With Your Child
It’s important to have regular conversations with your kids about the importance of not sharing personal information online and the risks of communicating with strangers. Additionally, you should encourage them to tell you about any uncomfortable interactions they experience in the game, so you can address the issue.
6. Set Clear Gaming Rules
You and your child can agree on a set of rules around when and how long your child can play Fortnite to prevent excessive gaming. Also, you should explain to your child the importance of taking breaks between games, staying physically active, and prioritizing other responsibilities over gaming.
7. Encourage Playing in Common Areas
Ask your kids to play Fortnite in shared spaces like the living room, where you can easily supervise their activities. This reduces the chances of them engaging in risky behavior without your knowledge.
What Game Modes Are There in Fortnite?
Some Fortnite game modes are safer for kids than others. Here’s a quick overview of the current game modes:
- Battle Royale game modes. The most popular Fortnite game modes by far and what people usually refer to when they talk about the game. In Battle Royale modes, players eliminate each other through battle, competing with up to 100 other people to be the last one standing.
- Stage game modes. These game modes turn Fortnite into a rhythm game, where players must hit the right notes in the song as they roll down the screen. These game modes can be cooperative or competitive.
- LEGO Fortnite. An open world survival sandbox game that involves building, crafting, harvesting, and fighting LEGO enemies. It includes a Sandbox made for players who want a purely creative experience free from even cartoonish violence.
- Rocket Racing. As the name suggests, it’s a competitive racing game game mode.
- Save the World. A PvE (Player versus Environment) game mode where players work together to survive against endless waves of monster enemies through building and fighting.
- Creative. Allows players to create their own game modes and play game modes created by other players.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Fortnite OK for a 7-year-old?
It depends. Fortnite is rated “T” for Teen by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), which reflects the fact that the game is competitive in nature, contains cartoonish violence, and includes firearms. But every kid is different, so you should make your decision based on your assessment of their individual maturity level. You can also alleviate some of the risks by using the game’s built-in parental controls function to turn off the in-game text and voice chat and implement other restrictions to keep your kid safe.
Is Fortnite kid-friendly?
There are some Fortnite game modes that are very kid-friendly, such as the “Stage” game modes, which turn Fortnite into a music rhythm game and Rocket Racing, which is a competitive racing game mode. That said, the most popular game modes by far are the Battle Royale game modes, which involve the use of weapons, including firearms, to eliminate other players with the goal of being the last one standing. The game also includes online interactions with other players, which comes with its own risks.
How do I stop my kid from playing Fortnite?
I recommend using a parental control app like Qustodio. Qustodio can block the app completely if you don’t want to let your kid play the game at all, set strict time limits on how long they can play each day, and/or create schedules for when the app is and isn’t available throughout each day and week.
Is Fortnite bad for kids?
Fortnite isn’t inherently bad for kids, but like any online game it comes with potential risks that parents should be aware of. While Fortnite promotes creativity, strategic thinking, and social interaction, it may also expose your child to mature content and cause excessive screen time due to its addictive nature. Therefore, it’s essential to guide your children’s gaming experiences by setting clear rules, discussing online safety, and using parental controls both in-game and through third-party apps. With the right balance and precautions, Fortnite can be enjoyed safely.