11 year old secretly gaming at 2am

1w ago1 min read

Found out yesterday my son has been sneaking his phone into his room and playing Fortnite until late at night. We have screen time limits but he figured out how to bypass them. I'm not sure if he actually never sleeps or if he's just doing it sometimes. He's a good kid and his grades are fine so I don't want to be crazy strict but the sneaking around part bothers me more than the gaming itself. Should I take the phone away or try setting up better parental controls? What works for other parents?

3 comments225 views

Comments(3)

JJosh M.Regular1w ago

This is such a battle right now. My oldest has tried the same thing multiple times. We use screen time limits on his device but he found workarounds. The sneaking around part is what bothered me most honestly, more than the game itself.

MMikeRegular1w ago

Oh man, the 2am Fortnite sessions are rough. We had to put our phone on a charger in our room at night because of similar stuff. Set up parental controls and have a real talk about why sleep matters. At 11 he can understand the health aspect.

FFrank M.New Dad1w ago

Time for a conversation about trust and boundaries. Taking the phone for nighttime makes sense but he needs to understand why you're doing it, not just feel punished. At that age they're testing limits so be consistent.