Recently, updates have been made to game settings aimed at helping parents manage their children's gaming time. Epic Games has rolled out features in Fortnite that empower parents to impose limits on how long their kids engage with the game.
The company revealed these enhancements in a blog announcement, stating that the new settings will apply to both the widely-played battle royale and the Unreal Editor for Fortnite. A dedicated safety guidelines page outlines the introduction of 'Time Limit Controls,' which enable parents to set daily playtime restrictions for their children. Additionally, they can establish specific hours during which gameplay is allowed each day and impose limits within those designated timeframes.
Once enforced, children will start receiving in-game messages alerting them when they have 30 minutes remaining in their session on either Fortnite or the Unreal Editor. As soon as they hit their allocated playtime, access to both games will be barred until the next day or the next time window opens, unless parents decide to increase the allotted time.
An option for parents to grant additional playtime is available through the 'Request for More Time' feature. When enabled, this setting allows youngsters to ask for more gaming time, but if it is deactivated, such requests will not be permitted. Should parents choose to enable this option and children have less than half an hour left in their session, they can submit a request for extra time within the game.
Parents will receive an email from Epic Games containing a link that lets them extend their child's playtime for that day, even if the request feature has been turned off. It's important to note that the additional time needs to be adjusted via the main menu settings of Fortnite.
Furthermore, the introduction of 'Time Reports' enables parents to track their child's gameplay duration. A weekly email summary detailing their child's gaming activity, including insights into time spent securing victories, will also be sent. 'Time Limit Controls' are now reachable on various platforms, such as PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. Provided that a player maintains the same account across devices, these time restrictions will be applicable regardless of where they choose to play.