Fortnite

Is Fortnite safe for kids?

Fortnite can be a safe game for older children, but only after a parent has set it up. Epic now has some of the most complete controls in gaming: chat off by default for under-13s, a PIN for purchases, time limits and age ratings for each island. Those controls exist because regulators found that the game used to put children at risk. In December 2022 Epic agreed to pay $520 million to settle two FTC cases, including a $275 million penalty for breaking the US children's privacy law (COPPA), the largest the FTC had ever obtained for breaking one of its rules.

We score Fortnite 57/100. Its present-day privacy and security are about average for a big online game. Its record drags the score down.

What the FTC found

The FTC filed two complaints on 19 December 2022.

The first, filed in federal court, said Epic knew many children played Fortnite, from its own surveys, toy licensing and support contacts, yet collected their data without asking parents. Parents who asked Epic to delete a child's data faced "unreasonable hoops", and some requests were not honoured. The FTC also said that turning on live voice and text chat by default, while matching children and teens with strangers, harmed them. Children were "bullied, threatened, harassed" and exposed to traumatising topics such as suicide. Epic staff had urged opt-in voice chat as early as 2017, according to the complaint.

The second complaint covered money. The FTC said confusing button layouts charged players for items when they woke the game from sleep or previewed an item, that children could buy V-Bucks with a button press until 2018, and that Epic ignored more than a million complaints. The $245 million order was finalised in March 2023. The FTC sent 629,344 refunds worth more than $72 million in December 2024 and 969,173 more worth over $126 million in June 2025, nearly $200 million in all.

The court order requires Epic to keep voice and text chat off for under-13s unless a parent consents, and off for teens unless they or a parent opt in. It also requires a privacy programme with independent audits.

The Dutch case on the Item Shop

In May 2024 the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) fined Epic €1,125,000 in two equal parts. One was for ads telling children to "Buy now" or "Get it now". The other was for countdown timers on items that often stayed on sale after the timer hit zero, which the ACM called pressure on children. Epic said it would appeal. In July 2024 the ACM confirmed Epic had met its binding instruction.

What data Fortnite collects

Apple's privacy label for Fortnite has no "Used to Track You" section, unlike YouTube and most social apps. Epic links purchases, coarse location, search history, user and device IDs, product interaction and crash data to your account. Email is used for Epic's own marketing. Audio data and gameplay content appear under app functionality, mainly because of voice chat and reporting.

Fortnite came back to the US App Store on 20 May 2025, after a federal judge ruled that Apple had violated an earlier order on outside payments. Apple's store data shows it listed in the UK and German stores since May 2026. The return gives iPhone users the same parental controls as other platforms. It does not change what data Epic collects.

How Fortnite compares with Roblox

Both games are free to play and sell cosmetics, and both host worlds made by players. The difference is the kind of risk. Roblox faces more than 170 federal lawsuits over adults grooming children through its chat. Fortnite's record is about how Epic designed defaults and purchases, and the fines are already paid. Children still meet strangers in Fortnite team modes, and harassment in voice chat has not disappeared, but the settings now start from closed for younger players.

Account theft is the most common day-to-day harm. Fake "free V-Bucks" sites and phishing messages steal accounts with rare skins. Two-factor authenticationTwo-factor authenticationSigning in with a second proof of identity on top of your password, such as a code from an app, a security key or a passkey.More in the glossary blocks most of it.

Setting up Fortnite for a child

1. Create the Epic account yourself, enter your child's real birth date and set a parental controls PIN. Use the Epic account portal or the settings inside Fortnite.
2. Leave voice and text chat off for under-13s, or set them to friends only. Then check the console or phone too: PlayStation, Xbox, Switch and iOS have their own chat settings that Epic's controls do not override.
3. Turn on the PIN for Epic payments. Under-13s already get a $100 daily cap, which is still a lot of money. Turn off paid random items if you do not want loot boxes.
4. Pick a maximum island rating, for example Everyone 10+. Battle Royale itself is rated Teen, so a lower setting blocks it.
5. Set daily play time limits and turn on the weekly email report.
6. Turn on two-factor authenticationTwo-factor authenticationSigning in with a second proof of identity on top of your password, such as a code from an app, a security key or a passkey.More in the glossary on the account and tell your child that any offer of free V-Bucks is a trick.

How we scored it

Regulatory record (20) is Fortnite's weakest factor: two record FTC settlements and a Dutch fine in less than two years. Scams and harmful content (48) reflects the harassment the FTC described and continuing contact with strangers. Transparency and control (72) is its best factor, because Epic's parental tools are detailed and the FTC order fixes safer defaults. Privacy and security (both 62) are ordinary for a large game.