Fortnite Parental Controls: What Every Parent Should Know

Fortnite, an online video game platform, has become one of the most popular among kids and teens, so parents should get familiar with it as well.

The most popular game is a multiplayer shooting game called Fortnite: Battle Royal. In 2024, it was the top battle royale game on Twitch and YouTube, with over 13.3 million weekly viewer hours. Fortnite is wildly popular because it combines features of survival, building, and combat games.

In our online classroom, we use Fortnite as a teaching tool. Kids can use the creator mode to build their own games while learning foundational game design and development concepts. One of our top priorities while kids are in Fortnite is keeping them safe. 

Here are our best tips for parents to keep their kids safe in Fortnite.

The Importance of Parental Controls in Fortnite

Parental controls are a way to make sure your child is safe while they are having fun in Fortnite. The biggest safety concerns are the multiplayer features and the interactions with strangers.

While Fortnite does have some moderations in place, live, unmoderated chats are possible, putting kids at risk.

Fortnite’s graphics style makes it less gory than games like Call of Duty. But it includes violence, like shooting and killing, so the content may not be appropriate for younger kids. The parental controls give you the power to manage communication features like voice and text chat, restrict access to mature content, manage screen time, and limit in-game purchases.

The Fortnite platform has many different games, some of which are more appropriate for kids. For example Fortnite: Party Royale does not include any shooting or killing. It’s a space for kids to chat and hang out, enjoy entertainment, and compete with friends. You should review the individual game your child is playing and ensure it’s appropriate for them. 

Safety Concerns for Kids in Fortnite

Fortnite is rated T for Teen by the ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board). This signifies that the content is generally suitable for ages 13 and up. 

The game may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling and/or infrequent use of strong language. For this reason, it’s not recommended for kids under the age of 13. 

Some of the main safety concerns parents should be aware of include:

• Player communications
• Inappropriate content
• Privacy
• In-game purchases
• Excessive screen time

Player Communications

One of the primary concerns is interacting with other players, especially strangers. Most games in Fortnite are multiplayer and require some level of cooperation. In the game, players often communicate with one another through voice and text chat. Fortnite users can also communicate outside the game with anyone who contacts them. 

Look out for: 

While most of these interactions are not problematic, you want to monitor for behaviors like cyberbullying and inappropriate content or language. In rare cases, there is the risk of online predators attempting to communicate with children in Fortnite. 

How to address it:

Use Parental Controls to disable or limit chat features, there are ways to limit the chat functionality to only your party or friends. You can also encourage your child to play only with friends they know in real life and be aware of who they are adding as friends. Discuss the importance of reporting abusive players and take steps to report them in game.

Inappropriate Content 

Generally, Epic Games does not allow any content higher than a Teen rating in Fortnite so the content is pretty kid-friendly. However, Fortnite’s gameplay and themes may not always align with what parents consider appropriate. Some content may not be appropriate for all ages, but the content is updated in every season, so take steps to regularly review it.

Look out for: 

The game involves shooting and eliminating players, so there is mild violence that may not be suitable for all children. Custom maps or community creations in Creative Mode may include inappropriate themes or images. Player interactions can also expose kids to mature language or topics.

How to address it:

Use Fortnite’s Parental Controls to set age-appropriate restrictions. Enable the Mature Language Filter in the parental control settings for inappropriate language. Supervise gameplay and review Creative Mode maps before your child plays them. Generally, encourage your child to play with friends on maps you have approved. 

Privacy

It’s crucial for kids to protect their identities online and limit the exposure of personal information. With Fortnite’s chat features, kids may inadvertently give away private information even if they don’t mean to. Malicious people and predators can take advantage of this to collect sensitive information.

Look out for: 

Messages that contain or reference personal details such as real names, school names, addresses, phone numbers, or other identifying information. Any direct messages with strangers and new friends and check for suspicious questions about personal or account information. Do not post identifying information like real-life photos or social media handles. 

How to address it:

Educate your child about the importance of keeping personal information private. Review your child’s privacy settings and ensure features like friend requests are restricted. Hide their username and others by making them anonymous. Discuss ground rules with your child and teach them what constitutes personal information and how to keep it safe. Encourage them to play with close friends and family to ensure safe interactions.

In-Game Purchases

Fortnite is free to play, but offers in-game purchases like skins, emotes, and battle passes. There are new items for purchase daily in the item shop. This could become a financial concern if children are not monitored or spend excessively. 

Look out for: 

More frequent purchases or excessive amounts of money spent, including unexpected charges on your payment option. Unintentional purchases as kids may be making purchases without realizing it. Exceeding spending limits you set and changes in behavior like secrecy or anxiety around showing you their account or character.

How to address it:

Parents can disable or require approval for purchases through parental controls. Instead of linking credit cards, limit your child’s spending by using prepaid gift cards. Discuss the value of money with your child and set a budget for in-game purchases.

Excessive Screen Time

Fortnite is a fun and engaging game and there is no end to it. Kids can continue to play every season and spend hours playing with friends. This is fun for kids, but it can lead to excessive screen time, disrupting sleep schedules, homework, or other activities.

Look out for: 

Kids spending too much time in Fortnite and prioritizing Fortnite over homework, chores, or social activities. 

The game’s competitive nature and rewards system can lead to compulsive playing habits. Staying up late at night to play and experiencing fatigue during the day. Losing track of time, spending hours in the game without realizing how much time has passed. 

How to address it:

Set boundaries for game time. It’s often difficult for kids to stop playing and that’s how games are built. You should establish clear boundaries for playtime using the parental control features provided by the platform. Ensure that your child has a balanced schedule with time for other activities, such as outdoor play, homework, or family time.

How to Setup Fortnite Parental Controls

To setup parental controls, you first need to add a parental controls pin.

Add a Parental Controls Pin

1. Login to your child’s Epic Games account at https://www.epicgames.com/
2. Select the Player Icon (circle in with an image of your character) in the upper right corner
3. Select Account 

4. Select Parental Controls

5. Choose 6-digit Parental Controls PIN

This PIN will be required to change parental controls in the future, so make sure to set a PIN that is different from other PINs that you use and is easy for you to remember.

You’re all set! You will now see options to select your parental control preferences. To use the following settings, you will need to have a parental control pin setup.

Manage In-Game Spending

Require a PIN for Purchases

1. Select Parental Controls in your child’s Epic Games account
2. Enter your 6-digit pin
3. Go to the General tab 

4. Scroll to Epic Games Payment and toggle the button for “Always require a PIN for purchases using Epic Games payment service”.
   • On: Your PIN will be required to complete any purchase on Epic Games.
   • Off: Your child will be able to complete payments without a PIN.

Set Time Limit controls

1. Select Parental Controls in your child’s Epic Games account
2. Enter your 6-digit pin
3. Click the Time Limits tab

4. For each game, set the time limit separately. Click Set Time Limits next to the Fortnite game. Here you can limit gameplay time, choose time windows, and allow kids to request more time.

Limit the total amount of time your child can play

1. Select Parental Controls in your child’s Epic Games account
2. Enter your 6-digit pin
3. Click the Time Limits tab

4. Click Set Time Limits

5. Under Schedule toggle on Set Custom Daily schedules

6. Click Edit 

7. Under Time Limit add the number of hours and minutes your child is allowed to play

8. Click Save

Choose specific time windows when your child can play

1. Select Parental Controls in your child’s Epic Games account
2. Enter your 6-digit pin
3. Click the Time Limits tab

4. Under Schedule toggle on Set Custom Daily schedules

5. Click Edit 

6. Under Time window add one or more time windows 

7. Click Save

Allow your child to request more time

1. Select Parental Controls in your child’s Epic Games account
2. Enter your 6-digit pin
3. Click the Time Limits tab

4. Scroll down to check off Allow requests for more time via email

Time Reports for Fortnite

1. Select Parental Controls in your child’s Epic Games account
2. Enter your 6-digit pin
3. Click the Time Reports tab

4. Select On or Off

Text and Voice Chat Settings

Toggle off mature language

1. Select Parental Controls in your child’s Epic Games account
2. Enter your 6-digit pin
3. Go to Fortnite Settings tab

4. Scroll down to Mature Language
5. Toggle the button for Filter out mature language in Epic text chat
   • On: Mature language in text chat will be filtered and replaced with heart symbols.
   • Off: Text chat won’t be filtered for mature language.

Require a PIN to add friends

1. Select Parental Controls in your child’s Epic Games account
2. Enter your 6-digit pin
3. Go to Social Permissions tab

4. Scroll down to Epic Friends Permission
5. Toggle the button for Require PIN to add Epic friends
   • On: You will need to enter your PIN everytime your child tries to send or accept an Epic Games friend request.
   • Off: Your child can send or accept friend requests without a pin.

Allow or Block Voice Chat

1. Select Parental Controls in your child’s Epic Games account
2. Enter your 6-digit pin
3. Go to Social Permissions tab

4. Scroll down to Epic Voice Chat Permission
5. Select who your child can voice chat with
   • Everybody – allow voice chat with any players.
   • Friends & Teammates – allow voice chat with friends on their Epic friends list and people on their team who may not be on their friends list.
   • Friends Only – allow voice chat with friends on their Epic friends list, other people in the party will not hear them.
   • Nobody – block voice chat for all players.

Allow or Block Text Chat

1. Select Parental Controls in your child’s Epic Games account
2. Enter your 6-digit pin
3. Go to Social Permissions tab

4. Scroll down to Epic Text Chat Permission
5. Select who your child can voice chat with
   • Everybody – allow text chat with any players.
   • Friends & Teammates – allow text chat with friends on their Epic friends list and people on their team who may not be on their friends list.
   • Friends Only – allow text chat with friends on their Epic friends list, other people in the party will not see their texts.
   • Nobody – block text chat for all players.

Manage Content Ratings

• Select Parental Controls in your child’s Epic Games account
• Enter your 6-digit pin
• Go to Fortnite Settings tab

• Scroll down to Fortnite Content Rating
• Choose an option for Require PIN to access experiences in Fortnite rated above:
  • Everyone
  • Everyone 10+ 
  • Teen

Report Users In-Game

If your child experiences any issues with other players during the game, there is a way to report bad player behavior in-game or from voice chat.

1. In the game, click the Menu icon.

2. Click the 3 lines hamburger icon.

3. Select REPORTING.

4. Click REPORT A BUG, PLAYER, OR ISLAND

5. Select Report Player.

6. Select the player’s name you wish to report.

7. Select the reason you want to report the player.

8. Click ACCEPT to send the report

Cabined Accounts

Cabined accounts are meant to provide a safer experience for younger kids from the start. All players that indicated they are under 13 years of age will have a cabined account. This means they will be asked to provide a parent or guardian’s email address in order to receive consent to access certain features in Epic’s products. Certain features are also automatically disabled in Cabined accounts. You can’t un-cabin an account, but you can set the parental control to allow certain features or experience ratings.

Learn more about cabined accounts.

How to turn off Fortnite parental controls

To turn off parental controls from an Epic Games account, you can:

1. Sign in to the Epic Account Portal at https://www.epicgames.com/
2. Select Account

3. Click Parental Controls from the left-hand menu

4. Enter your six-digit PIN
5. Choose the desired on/off state for each setting 

Tips for Monitoring Your Child’s Gameplay

These are actionable ways to monitor your child’s gameplay and address concerns about communication, content, privacy, and screen time.

Setup Fortnite Parental Controls

Start by setting up the built-in Parental Controls in Epic Games. These settings allow you to customize your child’s experience and minimize exposure to inappropriate content or interactions. There are options to restrict chat, set time limits, content, and friends.

Review Game Content Regularly

The game content changes often in Fortnite, so stay up to date with what your child is playing by reviewing the game content. New items are added in the store daily and updates, like new weapons and customizations, are made to the game weekly. Seasons change about every two months. Periodically you should also review maps in Creative Mode, as some user-created content may not be age-appropriate. Once completed, watch replays of their games to identify potential concerns, such as interactions with strangers.

Set Up Device-Level Parental Controls

Most parental controls are set in the Epic Account Portal, but your device may have additional settings. On the individual device, you can go to the Parental Controls section of Fortnite’s menu. Use these built-in settings to limit playtime, disable purchases, and control online interactions.

They are a great start, but combining them with regular discussions about online safety and device-level controls provides the best protection for kids. 

Learn to Code in Fortnite

If your child enjoys playing Fortnite, try exploring their passion for games in our Fortnite summer camp. Developers and game designers are the ones behind Fortnite. One day your child could be building games like Fortnite too. 

In our 1-week Fortnite camp, students craft their own unique gaming experience, complete with a personalized map, enemy, characters, and game objectives using Unreal Engine. They’ll also leave with the skills to independently create more Fortnite games in the future. Live, online camps are available for kids ages 11-18. 

Enroll in our top-rated Fortnite summer camps.