Fortnite: Fun, Risks, and How to Protect Your Kids with Parental Controls - Built-in vs. Third-Party Solutions

2025-08-20

Have you ever assessed how safe Fortnite is for your child? Many parents are anxious about the kids’ time spent in the game, and for good reason. Just like Jane Ortega from Ohio, who recently started to notice her son’s “Fortnite addiction”. This excessive screen time affects his sleep, schoolwork, and social life. So, it becomes understandable that this game is incredibly popular. However, it comes with certain risks. Fortunately, there are ways to protect your kids and give them a safer gaming experience. In this article, we'll explain to parents why Fortnite is fun and, at the same time, risky, and how to protect kids from potential threats there.

What is Fortnite?

Fortnite is an online multiplayer game released in 2017 by Epic Games. Since that time, it quickly became one of the most popular video games, especially among youngsters. The game has different modes. Among the most popular ones, players mention Battle Royale, where players compete to be the last one standing in a large, open world. Players can team up or go solo, it gives them rich variability.

Spyrix highlights why Fortnite is so popular among kids and teens. Here’s what we were able to find out:

• Free to play: Fortnite is a free platform to get started, giving access to anyone with an Internet connection and a gaming device.
• Social experience: It’s up for a player to team up and go solo - you find your own way to complete the game.
• Constant updates: Fortnite frequently regularly updates the game elements, including skins, challenges, and events. It allows the game to be dynamic and fascinating.
• Customization: Players can personalize their characters with different skins, emotes, and other cosmetic items, giving them a sense of ownership and uniqueness.
• Cross-platform play: Use any device to play the game - PC, a tablet, a phone.
• Interactive events: The game features special in-game events, like concerts or limited-time challenges, that keep players engaged and excited for what's coming next.
• Fast-paced action: The game's Battle Royale mode is quick and thrilling, which appeals to players who enjoy fast-paced, competitive gameplay.
• Earning rewards: Players can unlock skins, emotes, and other cosmetics by completing challenges or purchasing the Battle Pass, adding a layer of achievement.

The above features, in turn, make the game highly popular among kids of different ages. However, it still comes with certain risks for them and challenges for parents, who often have no idea what lies within the gaming world of Fortnite.

What are the Potential Risks of Fortnite?

Have you ever estimated the potential risks of Fortnite for your young players? Kids, especially at the small age, are not able to correctly assess potentially suspicious interactions and chats. What threats do your kids may face in the game?

If speaking about risks and challenges, the first to mention is inappropriate content. Although Fortnite is a game for kids over 12, even they can be exposed to content with illegal elements like language, behavior, and images.

Players are always chatting and building interactions with others, so that they can face cyberbullying, harassment, and toxic behavior from other players. According to Statista, August 2023 saw 76% of gamers had encountered online harassment. That’s why the rate of being a cyberbullying victim is higher than parents might predict.

What can be more dangerous? Parents should regularly analyze screen time of your child’s Fortnite. The addictive nature of the game, with its constant updates and rewards system, can result in excessive playtime, negatively impacting sleep, schoolwork, and physical health.

Although Fortnite is a free platform, it offers players paid content and elements. This platform accepts microtransactions, allowing players to purchase skins, emotes, and other gaming components. Without proper controls, kids may make unintended purchases, leading to high spending.

Other, not less important, factors, parents should pay attention to:

• Online predators - nobody knows who your kids may meet in the game
• Exposure to violence - the game involves shooting, so the risk to develop some unpleasant behavior for kids
• Uncontrolled communication - when addicted to the game, children are exposed to uncontrolled interactions with unknown players
• Scams and phishing - some malicious individuals may try to trick kids into giving away personal information or account details through fake websites or phishing schemes
• Mental health impact - the competitive nature of Fortnite may provoke stress, mental strain, and other diverse negative impacts

There are so many risks, parents should consider before allowing children to download the game and start playing it.

How to Protect Your Kids on Fortnite?

Security is the parents' major responsibility. Fortnite requires an integrated approach, when using built-in and third-party parental control software. Anyway, parents are recommended to use one of the mentioned tools to build a safe online environment.

Built-In Parental Controls in Fortnite

This gaming platform offers several built-in parental control tools that allows parents to manage their child’s experience with Fortnite.

Parents can rely on built-in parental controls and get the following features:

Setting	Description
Account privacy settings	Parents can set the account to private, ensuring only friends can join and communicate, preventing interaction with strangers.
Communication settings	Controls who your child can chat with (everyone, friends only, or no one), to protect against inappropriate conversations and cyberbullying.
Voice and text chat	Option to disable voice and text chat entirely to limit interactions with strangers and harmful content.
Parental verification	Set a parental PIN to restrict access to certain settings, such as changing privacy options or enabling in-game purchases.
Spending limits	Set spending restrictions on in-game purchases to prevent accidental or excessive spending.
Screen time management	Limit playtime or monitor daily usage to prevent addiction or excessive screen time.
Mature content settings	Switch mature content on or off to reduce exposure to inappropriate game elements.
Activity reports	Access reports that show your child’s in-game activities, including matches and interactions, for insight into their behavior.

Third-Party Parental Control Solutions

Another effective tool, in comparison to built-in tools, is to use third-party parental control software to protect kids in the game. It provides potential users a broader set of features like social media monitoring, call and text logs, email monitoring, screen time and apps blocking.

These tools give parents greater control over their child's online presence, allowing them to monitor interactions across multiple platforms, set more granular restrictions, and receive alerts on suspicious activity.

Additionally, many third-party solutions offer location tracking and geofencing, enabling parents to keep track of their child’s physical whereabouts in real-time, providing an extra layer of security.

Monitoring feature	Description
Call Logs	Track incoming and outgoing calls, including call duration, time, and contact details.
Text Message Monitoring	View sent, received, and deleted text messages along with timestamps and contact information.
Social media monitoring	Monitor activity on social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat, Telegram and more.
GPS location tracking	Track the real-time location of the device and view location history with geofencing capabilities.
App monitoring	Monitor apps installed on the device, including time spent on each app and app usage activity.
Browser history	View the browsing history and search queries made on the device’s web browser.
Screenshot capture	Capture screenshots of the device’s screen remotely to monitor activity.
Remote control	Remotely control the device to lock it, block apps, or manage settings.
Email monitoring	Track sent and received emails, including email content and recipient details.

Comparing built-in and third-party software makes it easier for parents to choose the right tool. They both help parents build a safe digital environment for kids. Any choice is the right solution for your kids’ safety.

Final Thoughts

Fortnite is as fun as it is risky. Additionally, it comes with certain challenges to protect kids in the game. With its multiplayer environment, social interactions, and potential exposure to inappropriate content, it's crucial for parents to take proactive steps. Leveraging built-in privacy settings or third-party parental control tools can help ensure a safe and enjoyable experience. By balancing the fun and safety factors, parents can give their kids the freedom to play while minimizing the risks associated with online gaming.