Technology Tips

Fortnite - what it is rated and why?  

Many students at school talk about playing Fortnite. Are your children playing this game and do you know what it is about?

The game plays like a complicated version of hide-and-seek – 100 players are scattered around an island and are tasked to find and eliminate all other players to win. During the match, the players need to find raw materials for building defensive structures and weapons for eliminating other players.

The Australia Classification Board’s (ACB) gives Fortnite an ‘M’ rating which means it’s recommended for players aged 15 years old and up. 

Risks

In some cases, Fortnite can be a little unhealthy for your kids. For one, even though the game has cartoony graphics, your kids might learn aggressive behaviours from the violence in the game. The game can also increase your children’s time in front of a screen, which can affect their mood, sleep quality, and level of fatigue. On top of that, Fortnite can also expose your kids to inappropriate language and toxic behaviour from other players. 

Learn To Use Parental Controls and Reporting Tools

The parental controls and reporting tools included with the game can also help you protect your children and manage their online interactions. With these tools, you can control who your child can speak with through text or audio chat, who can add your child as a friend, and how much other players know about your child’s account. You can also use these tools to censor swearing and to report problem players for inappropriate behaviour.

Unfortunately at school, we are seeing some negative behaviours that directly relate to the student's online interactions with others. Online bullying or harassment, inciting others to fight at school or poor attendance due to students staying up all hours of the night are just some of the issues we are facing at school. We need your support to put appropriate boundaries in place around this and other types of game so that your child is set up for good learning when they come to school. 

A simple way of finding out whether your child should be playing this game or not is to sit with them next time they are playing. This way you will get a sense of why it is recommended that children under the age of 15 shouldn't play this game and whether it is suitable for your child or not.  

If you want to discuss safe use of technology at home and need support, please contact me at school. 

(reference: Fortnite: What is it Rated & Why? | WHO Magazine)

Melanie Meers

Principal