SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 2 — Epic Games yesterday began letting parents limit how long, and when, their children can play blockbuster video game Fortnite.

Fortnite has gained immense popularity among children and teenagers, often sparking concerns among parents and educators about screen time, exposure to violence and unsafe online interactions.

The new parental control lets children know when they are nearing the end of a day’s allotted time in the battle royale survival game.

Parents can also designate what part of the day Fortnite can be played, and get reports of time spent in the game, according to Epic.

"These new parental controls will enable parents and guardians to manage and view how much time their child spends in Fortnite,” Epic said in an online post.

The "Time Limit” control works across consoles and devices, as long as a child is using the same account.

Epic offers parents more than a dozen controls in Fortnite including managing who children can chat or text with in the game and mature language filters. — AFP