My 10 year old has been asking non-stop to play Fortnite with his friends. I finally let him start playing last month and now he's on it every chance he gets. Says all his friends play it and he's missing out if he doesn't. I'm worried about screen time but also don't want him to be the only kid without it. How do you guys draw the line? What rules have actually worked?
Ten is tricky because he's old enough to want to do what his friends are doing. I'd say set clear limits on playtime, like specific hours or days, and stick to them hard. The minute you waffle on the rules they know you'll waffle again. Consistency is your friend here.
The non-stop asking is the real battle here, not the game itself. My oldest wanted in on Fortnite too and I set a hard boundary on times and friend groups. He still plays but it's contained and that actually helped with the obsessing part.
Yeah Fortnite with friends hits different than other games because of the social piece. It's not just gaming, it's how he's connecting with his buddies. So you might want to be cool about some playing time but still have boundaries. Maybe certain nights a week instead of open season?
Ten is still pretty young to be sucked into that cycle. The game's literally designed to keep them playing. I'd at least set strict time limits from day one before it becomes the thing he fights you on constantly.
This is the thing I worry about with my kids down the road. The addiction part is real. Have you set any limits like time windows when he can play? That's what I keep hearing works better than just saying no, because then it's not this forbidden thing.
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Fortnite's rough because all his friends are on it so saying no feels like you're isolating him. I let mine play but only on weekends and he has to earn it somehow. That gives you leverage instead of just blanket bans.
How many hours a day is he trying to rack up? That matters more than whether he plays or not. My rule is friends first, Fortnite second, and school always first. Helps keep it from taking over everything.