Help: Dealing with 10yo's fortnite obsession

Jan 101 min read

My son literally cannot put the controller down. We've tried time limits, taking it away, all that stuff. But the second he gets it back he's right back on it for hours. His friends all play so I get why he wants to, but it's driving me insane and he's getting grumpy when we tell him it's time to stop.

Does anyone have strategies that actually worked? Like not just punishment but something that makes him want to do other stuff? We live in Minnesota so winter is killer for keeping him entertained.

5 comments101 views

Comments(5)

VVincentRegularJan 10

Same boat dude. We use a kitchen timer he can see and that helped way more than me just saying time's up. Gives him a warning so it's not a sudden thing. Still sucks when it goes off but less of a meltdown.

TTony M.RegularJan 10

Have you tried doing a hard reset on screen time? Like literally nothing for a week, then reintroducing it with super strict rules. My 9yo was the same way with Roblox and we basically had to go cold turkey before he'd accept any limits.

KKyleRegularJan 12

Honestly at 10 they're also just developing their interests and sometimes that's intense. Not saying let him play all day but if he's into Fortnite that hard maybe there's something about it worth exploring together? My kid is obsessed too and we actually started watching competitive streams together and talking about strategy.

SSam T.RegularJan 11

The controller down thing is real. What finally worked for us was letting him earn gaming time through other activities, not just taking it away. Like 30 mins of screen time for every 30 mins outside or reading or whatever. Flipped the whole dynamic.

BBrianNew DadJan 12

Does he have other outlets? The real problem I found wasn't Fortnite itself but that my kid had literally nothing else engaging going on. Once we got him into soccer he naturally started putting the controller down more.