“My kid is always on his iPad during dinner or in bed. We have to threaten him and sometimes take it away, it is so frustrating. Not only do they live in a virtual world with the friends they meet online, they take it seriously too, and that is my problem,” said sales manager Zahid Bashir, 32.

Anam Mulla, a 24-year-old graphic designer who lives in Jeddah, feels people get too emotionally attached and passionate about this virtual life.

“These Farmville and card games applications keep kids and even the older generation up all night fighting for pets that do not exist and hence do not matter. How ridiculous,” he said. “I have seen my friends abusing one another because someone stole their farm pets or did not feed them. It makes me feel we are doomed or we are just too blind to realize the difference between real and virtual.”

A lot of parents complain they have a hard time controlling children. “Imagine having parental problems over these technical games and the artificial lives they live. The kids are constantly on their iPads or BlackBerrys and they will pay the price for the long hours of stress and harmful rays these electronic items emit, said Summaya Ghamdi, mother of two. My seven-year-old daughter has a migraine and wears glasses, but there is no permanent cure for this addiction.”

Entertainment applications that enter the market are both challenging and entertaining and age is not a restriction. “All ages love certain games, like Farmville or Angry Birds or even e-books. We all love reading and somehow these applications are suitable for any age group,” said Fatima Abrar, a technical marketing executive in Jeddah.

“When I am shopping with my sisters, my husband, father and son sit at a cafe and play games on their electronic tablets, sometimes for up to four to five hours. It is really addictive and sometimes they argue over a virtual game, which makes no sense to me.”

The only drawback she admits is that the arguments get serious and they are addicted to the applications, which hampers family time together and her child's development. “I understand these applications are made to pique your interest and keep you occupied, but they impinge on my family time. You can barely have a conversation with my husband or siblings who are always on their BlackBerrys.”

Most mothers complain about the rigorous use of mobile phones and potentially harmful exposure to applications that make their children more aggressive and perhaps mature a bit too fast.

Shama Muhannad, a 45-year-old doctor living in Najran, complained, “Once I heard my five-year-old son talk about war equipment, guns and fights that blew me away, only to realize he was playing some game with his friends. But even my 24-year-old son almost fought with his close friend over some Mafia Wars game on Facebook. I heard him abuse his friend and that really got me. I told him it is just a game and nothing worth messing up a relationship over. Be a realist. I guess we all need to grow up.”

Most parents complain about the electronic media eating into private family time and impeding values. They feel the sight of their children glued to their phones and tablets can be embarrassing in public.

“All my children are constantly sending texts in their homes. Even though they live in one house, we always feel they are in a different world. We are a BlackBerry family. It is a disease unfortunately even my 10-year-old daughter is addicted to. Random guys try adding her and I have to constantly keep checking for any explicit content. It is fatiguing,” said Zainab Taher, a 44-year-old mother of five.