It’s time to listen up when mom says get off Fortnite; if you’re not careful, you could end up in rehab.
You read that right.
Parents are now turning to professionals to get their kids away from the computer and back to real life.
Not only is the game giving parents headaches, but it is also affecting kids’ sleep, grades, and their non-gaming lives, Lorrine Marer, a behavioral specialist, told Bloomberg.
And the addiction part rings true. Many say that they can’t get enough of the game.
https://twitter.com/Findom_Breanna/status/1071492805883760640
fortnite is a serious addiction
— will (@willsothrill) December 8, 2018
I HATE having an addiction. All I can think about is playing fortnite and unlocking the rainbow Lynx, but I’m not home and I can’t play fortnite and it’s making me SO AGGRAVATED and jittery like I love that for me
— Cleo (@akilllua2) December 8, 2018
Son came back from sleep away camp with the Fortnite names of his buddies. That’s how they keep in touch now. Smh. #gaming #addiction
— sillygoose20 (@sonofsilly) June 23, 2018
One reason for the draw is that the game is free to play—which explains its 200 million users. That being said, the site has made billions thanks to those buying in-game currency and add-ons. A survey from Common Sense Media has found that over 61 percent of teens have played Fortnite. And 21 percent of parents whose kids have played are concerned about the hours spent.
So parents are turning to tech-free camps to send their kids. Today highlighted one called “Reset Summer Camp.” The four-week sessions focus on getting kids out playing and away from their tech.
The camp does group sessions where they talk about healthy ways to use technology and how to self-moderate.
Some think the camp is a great idea; others think Fortnite frenzy could be handled another way.
https://twitter.com/AcostaRomay/status/1071134207185948674
The fortnite bashing continues, no one can blame the game for so called addiction to it. It’s the person playing or the parents of the obsessed. Self-control is paramount in any walk of life and if someone can’t have it over a game, that’s pretty sad.
— Shaun (@shaun_camp) June 17, 2018
The game isn’t only affecting children. Adults are also prone to find themselves attached.
A few months ago a petition to “Get rid of Fortnite” gained traction on Change.org, started by a girlfriend who thought her boyfriend was being brainwashed by the game.
So maybe put down the controller this holiday season and spend some time with friends and family, or this summer you might be in group therapy.
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