Is Fortnite Safe for Kids?

Updated – Originally published January 18, 2024

Since its launch in late 2017, the video game Fortnite has taken the world by storm. Because of its rapid rise to fame, parents may be left uncertain and uninformed on the ins and outs of their child’s favorite pastime.

More than a few parents are wondering: “Is Fortnite appropriate for kids?”

The short answer: with proper parental controls and precautions, Fortnite can be a safe experience for kids who are ready for gaming.

The full answer involves a lot more detail. Let’s dig in.

What is Fortnite?

Now offering over 130,000 game experiences, Fortnite first gained popularity as an online battle royale shooter game similar in concept to the Hunger Games, where players connect online and face off in a fight to the death until the last man is standing. The novel battle royale format and multiplayer capabilities made it unique among other shooter games.

The Fortnite Battle Royale experience is still extremely popular but Fortnite offers a wide range of games for a wide range of users. It can be downloaded for free from the Epic Games store.

Playing the game is possible on several platforms, including mobile devices, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PlayStation, PC, and Mac.

Is Fortnite for Kids?

Undoubtedly, Fortnite is being played by kids. A lot of kids. There aren’t currently statistics that inform exactly how old average Fortnite players are but a 2018 study conducted among parents of children 8 – 17 years old, 45% reported that their children played Fortnite. Other reports indicate that over 60% of its users are aged 18-24.

Fortnite offers a huge variety of games with ratings ranging from E (for everyone) to a maximum rating of T (for Teen), so how appropriate or safe Fortnite is for kids really depends on which of the thousands of game experiences your child is wanting to play. And whether you’re using Fortnite’s parental controls.

The main considerations for parents include: communication with others online, exposure to violent content, screen time, and online privacy.

Is Fortnite Safe for Kids if the Chat is Muted?

Fortnite allows for voice chat among players, which can connect our children with both friends and predators. Parents should always be cautious with any online experiences that allows kids to communicate with other users.

However, parents can use Fortnite settings to disable chat functions to exclude strangers and include only friends. Parental controls (more on this below) can also limit contact, text or voice chat, with any other players.

The Effect of Violent Video Games on Young Minds

Many parents wonder if Fortnite is bad for kids because of the violent nature of Battle Royale (it’s most popular gaming experience). The jury is still out on whether playing violent shooter games correlates to real-life acts of violence and aggression. Some studies have shown a slight to moderate correlation between consuming violent media and exhibiting aggression. Many other studies negate this connection.

Exposure to violent content through Fortnite depends on the specific game being played. Some experiences won’t involve any violent content at all. But since Fortnite’s Battle Royale experience is so popular, let’s look at that as an example.

Undoubtedly, the nature of a fight-to-the-death battle royale is a violent concept and may not be suitable for children. However, violence in Fortnite is relatively mild, even cartoonish — no blood or gore is shown, and downed enemies simply disappear once they’ve been killed. Add this to the goofy dances and emotes available to players and some parents may even consider Fortnite to be light-hearted. 

(The Battle Royale game is rated “T” for teens, and is probably best for kids 13 and up.)

Screen Time Concerns with Fortnite

This probably goes without saying but Fortnite is popular with kids because it’s a lot of fun. In making a decision about whether you’ll allow your child to play Fortnite, parents may consider video gaming addiction as a possible side effect.

Possible indications of video gaming becoming compulsive include withdrawal symptoms like anxiety and irritability when the games are taken away, a loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities, and using video gaming as a coping mechanism for difficult emotions and situations. 

It’s important to note that you are the parent and know your child. If you find that playing Fortnite has had negative effects on your child’s behavior or mental well-being, consider sitting down and discussing it as a family.

Even if you don’t think video games are having a direct negative effect on your child, you should also consider the opportunity cost. Even if harmless, could the hours spent gaming be better spent on something else?

These aren’t questions we can answer for every family or child. And given that there is some evidence of benefits, it’s worth weighing out all the pros and cons before you establish family rules or make decisions for your child.

The Benefits of Video Games

While there are always risks associated with gaming in excess, playing video games may also positively impact developing minds. It’s fair to ask if Fortnite is good for kids.

One study, for example. links positive cooperative play in a violent multiplayer video game with prosocial behavior or behavior that involves self-sacrifice for the benefit of others. This prosocial behavior was linked to increased satisfaction of psychological needs during gameplay.

Teamwork among peers is a benefit of online multiplayer games, especially when friends can unite to achieve a common goal. This facet of online gaming has even been associated with higher friendship quality.

Which is Safer for kids, Fortnite or Apex Legends?

When discussing Fortnite, many parents also ask about similar games from other companies. One of these is Apex Legends.

Apex Legends is a battle royale game that, unlike Fortnite, requires the formation of teams to win. Teams of two or three players will fight against the other 20 or 30 teams during gameplay to win. 

Apex Legends is considered by many to be more violent than Fortnite — it includes vivid depictions of gore, including blood spatters and stabbing.

Because of its interactive gameplay, Apex Legends requires interaction and teamwork with other people, so disabling the chat feature to exclude strangers is not an option.

Those two features alone make Apex Legends more concerning than Fortnite.

Epic Games Controversy Over Child Privacy

Epic Games (Fortnite’s parent company) has been associated with controversy over online privacy. One of the largest lawsuits in the history of the video gaming industry involved Epic Games and was filed by the Federal Trade Commission. 

In 2022, Epic Games paid a fine of $275 million to the FTC, which is still the largest FTC administrative settlement to date. The lawsuit alleged Epic Games’ neglect of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) in their collection of children’s data without parental knowledge or consent. 

Additionally, in a more recent lawsuit in Canada, Epic Games paid out $2.7 million to parents of players for their use of random “loot boxes” in play. These loot boxes were acquired only by spending real money on the game, and while the game tantalized players with the possibility of a big win, these loot boxes sometimes contained worthless and disappointing prizes.

In the wake of the lawsuit, a spokesperson for Epic Games stated, “Players should know upfront what they are paying for when they make in-game purchases.”

In an attempt to rectify these problems, Fortnite no longer allows loot boxes or other “pay-to-win” mechanics and all indications suggest the privacy violation allegations are a thing of Fortnite’s past. But parents should always exercise caution when allowing a child to spend time on any online platform.

Instagram and Fortnite Porn

Fortnite itself does not promote promiscuity or allow nudity. Fornite players can equip their avatars with outfits (called skins), and some parents may not approve of some of the skins available, but there is no explicit nudity on these skins. 

One surprising and unfortunate facet of the rise in Fortnite’s popularity is a connection with pornography, specifically on Instagram. To be clear, this has nothing to do with the game itself and is in now way affiliated with Epic Games.

Fortnite lovers often search the internet for innocent content of their favorite game, such as live streams of gameplay, funny memes, and commentary on the game. One of the primary places to search is Instagram, where users can easily search for a specific tag and find what they’re looking for. In this case, a simple “#Fortnite” search will yield hundreds of thousands of Fortnite-related photos and videos. 

Such a search could potentially reveal a dark underbelly of pornography on Instagram through “hashtag hijacking.” Accounts dedicated to posting and sharing pornography or links to sexually explicit sites use tags of common internet buzzwords like “#love,” “#photography,” and “#instagram,” on their posts. Such a practice is not uncommon and leads to more engagement on posts. 

Unfortunately, another common internet buzzword is “#fortnite,” a term that, despite its popularity among a young audience, is used by pornographic accounts to increase engagement. 

The use of the “#Fortnite” tag may have nothing to do with the pornographic post itself. But the use of the tag will draw more users to a post, and ultimately, will result in more engagement for the pornographic post.

Is LEGO Fortnite Safe for Kids?

On December 7, 2023, Epic Games and LEGO released a new game experience on Fortnite, this one specifically catered toward their younger audience.

LEGO Fortnite promises to cater to and protect children during gameplay. LEGO Fortnite’s gameplay differs from Fortnite experiences like Battle Royale in its lack of violence against teammates, but rather against virtual creatures like wolves and spiders. This new gameplay requires teamwork in building up a community of players.

LEGO Fortnite looks and plays quite similarly to Minecraft: players collect resources to build structures and tools which allow them to mine for precious metals and gems that can be used to make more structures and tools. 

Like Minecraft, LEGO Fortnite allows for the exploration of a procedurally generated world full of creatures, both peaceful and hostile. Players can work together to protect themselves from dangerous creatures and build their online community. 

LEGO and Epic Games have taken steps to ensure that LEGO Fortnite is safe for kids. A parent’s guide offers helpful information on the ins and outs of the game, and how parents can keep their kids safe while gaming. 

LEGO Fortnite has yet to raise red flags for kids, but that doesn’t mean it’s completely risk-free. You and your kids can take the opportunity to research, and perhaps even play, as a family.

What Can Parents Do?

A game like Fortnite can seem overwhelming to learn about and protect children from. However, there are ways that parents can set limits on problematic aspects of the game. 

There isn’t a single path to make Fortnite safe, especially since preferences will change based on the family. But the first, most basic step is to set up your child’s Fortnite account with them.

Kids can easily bypass age restrictions (on any platform) by signing up under a fake birthdate, so ensure your child is setting up their account under their actual birthdate. This will ensure that Fortnite’s built-in safety features apply to your child’s account they way they’re intended to.

If your child already spends time on Fortnite, or if you’re considering letting your kid on for the first time, we suggest reviewing Fortnite’s full overview of their parental controls. But here are some key highlights:

• Any user under the age of 13 will automatically be assigned a “Cabined Account” that provides additional protections.
• Public chat functions with strangers can be completely disabled
• Mature language can be filtered in chat
• Time limits can be set to prevent excessive screen time
• Purchase limits can be set to prevent overspending
• As of November 2023, all Fortnite experiences (called “islands”) have individual ratings

That last bullet point is key because it allows parents to only allow their child access to experiences under a certain rating threshold. Before being approved and published, all Fortnite islands go through a moderation process that includes both automated and human review.

Kid-Safe Options

It can be challenging to stay caught-up on all the new trends and games that our kids are interested in. As a parent, it can be difficult to know exactly which of these novelties to allow into the home, and which to keep out, especially when every other parent seems to allow them. 

No parent has all the answers but trying to stay in-the-know and protect your children from the challenges of our technological world makes all the difference. 

If you’re uncomfortable with the idea of introducing your child to a specific game or device, follow that instinct. Kids deserve a tailored introduction to technology and many are ready for features like calling and texting before they’re ready for a device that gives them an app store packed with games or full access to the internet. 

With all of the technology currently available to kids, a kid-safe option can be incredibly helpful in muting out some of the noise of the internet. Kid-safe phones allow for easy communication between friends and family, while also keeping kids safe from the dangers of social media and technology addiction.

What do you think? Have you seen benefits or drawbacks to allowing your kids to play games like Fortnite? What has helped keep your kids safely connected? Comment below!