What You Should Know About Fortnite and How it Affects Teenagers

Written by Stonewater Recovery | Nov 15, 2021 5:00:00 AM

Fortnite has become all the rage in the last year with 2.4 billion views on YouTube in a single month. With engaging graphics, the desire to acquire new weapons every game, and the epic victory dances, it is no wonder that teenagers everywhere, including yourself, have become obsessed with this online game. While Fortnite may incite a virtual teenage playdate for hours on end, battle royale style, with a 100 of your newest friends, the truth is that playing video games in excess can cause you more problems than it is worth. Here is what you should know.

Adolescents as young as 9 years old have gone to rehab for a gaming addiction to Fortnite.

If you play endless games of Fortnite, you can easily get addicted to gaming. A gaming addiction starts out as a way to have fun with your friends but can turn into a full on obsession in which you put Fortnite in front of everything you do. Eating, sleeping, going to the bathroom, showering, face to face socialization, physical activity, and studying all become second nature to playing the game with someone who is addicted.

Game rage has become more prevalent amongst teens.

When a teenager gets Fortnite taken away from them for overuse, there is a chance that they may get increasingly aggressive and begin to break things, hit their parents, or throw temper tantrums to try and get their game back. Emotional dysregulation and hyperarousal can be brought about through excessive amounts of screen time causing rage when withdrawal from gaming is present.

Gaming can cause brain function impairment.

Since you are playing a game where fight or flight is imperative, you are actually putting stress on your brain. With excessive gaming, chronic stress can cause your blood flow to veer away from the part of the brain where your thinking takes place. The blood will instead flow into the part of the brain that is used for survival which causes the nervous system to be consistently negatively affected. Basically, you will have trouble paying attention, following directions, managing your emotions, and diminished creativity. While this may seem to be a little dramatic for just playing a video game, your brain can change tremendously the longer you play. Fortnite gaming may be a fun experience for you to have with your friends, however, limiting your game time and making sure you are holding up your responsibility with homework, chores, and hygiene is also really important. If you think you may have a problem with gaming, you should talk to your parents and ask for help as soon as possible because you are young, resilient, and worth it.

Gaming isn’t the only screen habit rewiring your teen’s brain. Social media addiction affects teens in many of the same ways — from anxiety and low self-esteem to compulsive use and sleep disruption.

Stonewater Adolescent Recovery Center leads the way with progressive, evidence-based programming to most effectively treat each individual adolescent while focusing on the uniqueness of each client. Healing the mind, the body, and the spirit as one in the same can make the biggest difference in staying sober.

Call us today to start living in recovery:

662-598-4214

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