In Fortnite, horrified parents have discovered in two cases that their children apparently came into contact with individuals in the game who had sexual intentions. The British police also warns against Fortnite.
In the UK, two cases have emerged where children were approached by men through Fortnite who apparently had sexual intentions.
Man asks 10-year-old autistic boy: “Do you know what sex is?”
The Mirror reports on Tessa (42) from London. She was sitting on the sofa when her 10-year-old son was playing Fortnite. Suddenly, the “giggling” of a man came through the speaker of the television. The man reportedly spoke to her son, asked him to put on the headset, and within seconds asked him: “Do you know what sex is?”
The mother immediately stopped the game. In an interview, she said that her son had recently been diagnosed with autism. The incident affected him.
She is mainly concerned about what would have happened if she had not witnessed this incident and intervened immediately.
12-year-old from Liverpool offered money for sexual favors
Another case comes from Liverpool. A mother tells the Liverpool Echo in shock, what happened to her 12-year-old boy. The boy was approached by a man through the in-game chat of Xbox while he was playing Fortnite.
The man wanted “nude pictures” from the 12-year-old and offered him £50 for sexual services. Additionally, the man told the boy to die slowly.
The mother said she had just been watching soaps in her bedroom when she heard the horrifying questions coming from her son’s room. She then confronted the man and asked him if he didn’t find it disgusting to ask a 12-year-old such things.
The man replied, no, he wasn’t interested.
The mother then lost her composure, banned her son from playing the game, and called the police.
British Crime Agency intervenes, warns against Fortnite
On Thursday, April 5th, the British National Crime Agency (via Telegraph) issued a warning that children playing Fortnite are in danger of being approached by pedophiles.
It states that Fortnite is extremely popular among teenagers and children in the country. There are voice and text chat features that cannot be turned off. Therefore, it is important that parents and teachers understand what risks children are exposed to in order to allow for safe play.
Their advice to parents is:
- To have an open conversation with children about their online lives
- To play together with the children
- To learn how to report a player within Fortnite
- And to see what others think about Fortnite
Fortnite is rated 12+ by the USK – however, this rating refers to the PvE mode. The free Battle Royale mode is currently likely the most popular game in the western hemisphere, but has not received a separate age recommendation from the USK.
More on the topic:
“Help, my child is playing Fortnite!” – Here’s what parents should know
