Chilling Fortnite warning over paedophiles grooming children on the game as National Crime Agency urges parents to be vigilant
PARENTS have been issued a chilling warning over the dangers of Fortnite after the National Crime Agency said children could be preyed on by paedophiles.
The law enforcement agency says voice and text chats between players over the internet can't be turned off - meaning kids are chatting to strangers online.
Dozens of Fortnite users have already reported adults making sexual remarks to kids - with one mum claiming her 12-year-old son was offered £50 to perform a sex act.
The NCA has now issued a harrowing warning to parents over the dangers of the game, which features up to 100 people battling to be the last person alive in a player vs player combat.
A spokesperson said: "Fortnite is immensely popular with children and teenagers across the country.
"It features voice and text chat which cannot be turned off, so it's important that parents and teachers understand that risks broader risks associated with the game and enable safe playing.”
Last month, the mother of the 12-year-old boy, from Merseyside, was forced to intervene when she discovered her son had been contacted by a cyber perv while playing Fortnite.
And a mum-of-two, who just gave her name as Tessa, overheard a creep trying to groom her son while he was playing the game.
According to the mother, the unidentified man asked: "Do you know what sex is?"
She said she immediately stopped the game and is urging parents to turn off audio completely if they want to protect their children.
Tessa said: "It was disgusting. He asked if 'Danny' [his gaming name] had a fanny and knew what sex was.
"He was coaxing him to put his headset on. The tone of this person's voice was horrible.
"I immediately stopped it but it could have been much worse. What if Tyler had been playing in his bedroom or with a headset on?"
SAFETY ADVICE FOR PARENTS
According to CEOP, parents should:
- Have an open and honest conversation with your child. CEOP says: 'It’s important to involve yourself in your child’s online life and a simple and effective way to this is by talking to them about their life online. Asking your child about how they play Fortnite and what they like about it is a great way to start a conversation. Our can help you to have this conversation.'
- Play with them. 'It may seem daunting, but one of the best things that you can do is to engage with the gaming environment and begin to understand what makes Fortnite so attractive to young people, as well as giving yourself an idea of the reporting tools available within the game.'
- Know how to make a report. 'On Fortnite you can report players who are behaving inappropriately by using the in-game feedback tool located in the game Main Menu, '
- See what other people think of Fortnite. 'Common Sense Media allow parents and young people to give their reviews of games that they have played. They have created a very useful
Meanwhile, a teacher in Bradford, who asked not to be named, said he was shocked when pupils aged 11 and 12 openly discussed the predators on the game.
He said: “We were talking about the game and they said it was ‘full of paedos.’ We talked about it and most said they had come across it.
“I don’t think parents are aware of the dangers.”
Fortnite has proved hugely popular with so many young people taking part to the craze that lessons are being disrupted.
While there is no exact figure on how many children play Fortnite, the game has so far pulled in an audience of over 3.4 million players.
As a result, the the Child Exploitation and Online Protection team, a command of the NCA, has issued lengthy guidance about the worldwide game.
Their advice includes parents playing with their child to make sure they are not speaking to anyone dangerous.
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It said: “Play with them. It may seem daunting, but one of the best things that you can do is to engage with the gaming environment and begin to understand what makes Fortnite so attractive to young people, as well as giving yourself an idea of the reporting tools available within the game.”
For more advice, visit
WHAT IS FORTNITE?
Fortnite is an online video game set in a dystopian world where 98% of Earth's population suddenly disappears, living conditions become difficult, and zombie-like creatures begin the roam the Earth - the player is among the remaining 2% whose job it is to survive.
After the apocalypse, 'survivor bases' were set-up and each player is in charge of looking after these bases before trying to find a way to return Earth to normal.
Fortnite also includes a mode called Battle Royale, in which 100 online players are put in a battle field to fight until death until one player remains.
The video game welcomes players aged 12 and above.
The now hugely popular game was revealed in 2011 but only released last year.
Since its release it’s been available to play on gaming platforms such as PlayStation 4, Xbox One, as well as PC and Mac.
At the beginning of March developers announced they would be rolling out a mobile-friendly version for iOS and Android phones.
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