Parents, IGEA slam 60 Minutes’ ridiculous Fortnite reporting

Channel Nine’s 60 Minutes — and the parents it has put in the spotlight — are under fire for a story that focuses on a child’s addiction to Fortnite.

“Can’t stop, won’t stop”, a story aired by the program last night, focused on 14-year-old Logan Ford, a teenager who suffers from gaming addiction. Logan has refused to go to school for two years and only leaves his room to eat or use the bathroom. According to the child, he’d play Fortnite for 14 hours a day if he could.

Logan’s mother, Britta Hodge, says her child has assaulted her when she tried to remove his console, even going as far as to phone the police during one outbreak.

Rather than blame Fortnite for Logan’s behaviour, other parents have taken to social media to lash out at Hodge’s actions.

“As a mother of a 11 year old who plays Fortnite, I’d brake the console if things got that bad,” mother Ana wrote.

“[This is] what happens when you put parental discipline in the ‘too hard basket’,” a man named Thomas wrote on 60 Minutes‘ Facebook page.

The Interactive Games & Entertainment Association posted a statement to Facebook immediately after the program aired.

“It was disappointing to see the way that the subject of video games and addiction was portrayed on TV just now,” the IGEA wrote. “With 2.6 billion people playing games around the world, games are an incredibly popular choice of media and entertainment for people of all ages. Their contributions often extend beyond entertainment with well-researched and often-cited contributions to education, healthcare, and the arts with players purposefully using games to improve their lives.”

The IGEA said it “encourage[s] parents to talk to their kids about games, sit down and watch/play the game with them to enhance their knowledge and understanding of the activity,” and points parents to the following resource.