ALL FORTNITE LONG
Fortnite ‘addiction’ leaving pupils bleary-eyed in class after all-night binges sparking calls for lessons in online safety
PRIMARY school head teachers have warned parents to keep their kids away from violent video game Fortnite after they began turning up for school bleary-eyed following all-night gaming sessions.
Since it launched last July, the shoot-em-up has gripped millions of children across the country and been downloaded more than 40million times.
2
Teachers say they are finding many of its users are younger than its 12-year age limit.
They are now demanding curriculum time to teach healthy online use, as part of Personal Social Health and Economic Education.
National Association of Head Teachers chief Nick Brook said: “To help young people navigate challenges of the digital age, we’d like protected curriculum space.
“Recent reports of problems with online gaming only reinforces the need to educate children on safe and healthy use of online resources.”
Peter Andre reveals he snapped his son's Playstation cable so Junior couldn't play the game Fortnight on This Morning
Jemma Garside, the Head Of School at Greenways Primary Academy in Stoke-on-Trent, wrote to parents in an email, saying: “Unfortunately discussions around this game are being brought into the classroom which is distracting children from their learning.”
Another school in Bristol reported children as young as seven playing the game.
A post on its website said: “We’ve heard some of our children, including in Year 3, are playing a game online called Fortnite... if your child is playing this game talk to them and make sure you know what they are doing.”
2
Yesterday, Culture Secretary Matt Hancock’s Parliamentary Private Secretary Nigel Huddleston said he was ‘horrified’ to hear stories of children becoming addicted to the game.
He said: ‘The Government is going to be making it increasingly difficult for children to see inappropriate content.’
The game’s action takes place on an island where players battle against each other online using an array of weapons to be the last person standing.
It has been endorsed by top sport and music celebs — but experts fear it is leading to record levels of online addiction.
Game plan: What is Fortnite and why is it so popular?
FORTNITE: Battle Royale is a version of Fortnite, a video game released by Epic Games in July 2017.
The online game is set in an post-apocalyptic world, based around a battle for survival.
Fortnite offers two distinct modes: player versus environment, 'Save the World' and the more recent player versus player game Battle Royale.
The game starts with 100 players leaping out of a plane on to a small island, fighting each other until no one is left.
Fortnite has proved a massive hit with millions of kids.
The game is free and kids can team up with a friend, a group of friends or compete as a duo or squad.
Matches can last up to 20 minutes.
Though it's a multiplayer shooter, no graphic violence is depicted.
It comes as a nine-year-old girl is in rehab after getting so addicted to the game she wet herself rather than leave the screen.
The hooked youngster played all night until dawn after her parents had gone to bed — and hit her dad in the face when he confiscated her Xbox.
She kept nodding off at school, began skipping gym and ballet classes and running up £50 bills with Microsoft buying extras.
Her parents eventually put her into therapy — two months after buying her the Xbox — to help wean her off.
Five Top Tips To Navigate Tech With Your Kids
By, Belinda Parmar, tech activist and CEO of The Empathy Business
1. Introduce good habits from the start.
It’s easier to start off on the right foot than to change bad habits. We’re giving phones to our children at younger ages than ever, so introduce some ground rules from day one.
2. Remove all devices from the bedroom at night.
A child’s bedroom should be a place for rest, and yet one in ten children check their phone at least 10 times during the night. The artificial light emitted from screens stimulates neurons in the brain making it harder to sleep and affecting concentration levels the next day.
3. Act consistently with your partner.
Your efforts to help limit your child’s technology consumption can be undermined if your partner doesn’t back you up. Make sure you both set a good example, children don’t want to lose their parents to technology either.
4. Think about using apps to limit your child’s technology usage.
It’s easy to control which devices in your home have internet access - and when - through your internet provider. Apps like Moment allow you to manage and set limits on your family’s screen time through your phone.
5. Look out for the signs of tech addiction and act on them.
Do you notice your child becoming increasingly aggressive when asked to come off their games console? Does your child seem anxious at the suggestion of leaving their phone in a different room? Be open with your child about the effect technology is having on their mental wellbeing and back it up.
Belinda Parmar OBE and her team are a group of campaigners raising awareness of tech addiction and running tech addiction workshops in schools in partnership with Samsung. Find out more at #TheTruthAboutTech
Jeff Brazier explains why he banned his son from popular computer game Fortnite
MOST READ IN NEWS
Mum Carol, 36, said: "We had no idea of the addictive impact it could have. She became withdrawn, agitated and disturbed from playing up to ten hours a day wetting herself so she didn't have to leave the screen."
And it comes as a teenage boy is set to be diagnosed with an online gaming addiction in what is believed to be the first case of its kind on the NHS.
The 15-year-old has reportedly been off school for a year while spending hundreds of hours on computer game binges in his north London home.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368 . You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.
Topics