MY SON IS ADDICTED TO FORTNITE

Dear Coleen

I have a 15-year-old son and a daughter of 12. My son is totally addicted to the game Fortnite. He got it for his birthday in June and he plays on it around the clock.

He wakes up earlier than usual to play it and stays up until close to midnight playing. He’s often grumpy due to lack of sleep, and I’m sure his schoolwork is going to be affected by this if it carries on after the holidays.

He’s always been quite a shy lad, but now he has virtually no friends, no hobbies and no interests other than playing this game.

My husband shouts at him, which doesn’t seem to help. I’m at the end of my tether – what can we do about this?

Coleen says

I presume you paid for the game, so just go up to his room and turn it off!

Seriously, you’re the parent here and you’ve got to set some rules. Like when he can go on it and for how long.

I hear a lot of parents complain about Fortnite, and some schools have even written to parents to advise them on how to set limits.

You’ve got to be firm and consistent and set some ground rules right away – don’t let this drag on any longer.

You could wean him off gently by setting limits, such as 45 minutes in the morning and again in the evening.

Or perhaps only let him play the game every other day.

He will scream and shout and stomp his feet at first, but tough, you’re the parent.

You pay the bills and he’s living in your house. He’s addicted and it’s not healthy.

Many parents are so scared of their children being a nightmare when something is restricted that they let them get away with anything. It’s the same with drink, or social media, and so on.

But stick to your guns!