Concern over the effects of Fortnite on children “excessive”

AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLS ISSUE ADVICE TO PARENTS, WARNING OF ITS “NEGATIVE EFFECTS”.

Whether it’s Overwatch, PUBG, Fortnite or whichever big game that will come next, there will always be the same media uproar when children begin to show a change of behaviour at school or home. According to The Guardian, several Australian schools have issued newsletters to parents, stating that Fortnite is responsible for altered behaviour during lessons and in the playground, but also warning that its highly online-interactive nature could result in bullying.

Dr Marcus Carter from the University of Sydney, however, believes that this concern could be somewhat “excessive”. “The media panic around Fortnite is indicative of tensions that exist between parents, children and any new media,” he said. “Parents can quite rightly not want their kids playing with adult strangers online [but] digital gaming on its own, is not bad.”

He said the best solution for any worried parents was to sit down with their children and play the game with them, to make up their own mind.