In the UAE, 91% of children play video games regularly, and Roblox is among the most popular platforms. A 2025 study by the University of Sharjah found that 37.7% of children in the UAE spend more than seven hours a day on screens outside of school. The question has moved beyond “how much is too much” to something more urgent: what is this doing to our children’s development?
The concern is serious enough that Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Jordan have all banned Roblox. The UAE’s TDRA took a different approach, working directly with Roblox to temporarily disable in-game chat and enhance safety measures. In December 2025, the UAE also passed Federal Decree Law No. 26 on Child Digital Safety, especially fitting as 2026 has been declared the Year of the Family.
But beyond safety headlines, there is a quieter crisis many parents miss: the impact of excessive gaming on speech development, motor skills, and emotional regulation.
Unlike a single video game with one storyline and set rules, Roblox hosts millions of user-created games with varying levels of oversight. A Kaspersky survey conducted with the UAE Cyber Security Council found that 33% of UAE parents believe their children play age-inappropriate games, with boys more likely to violate age guidelines than girls. This makes it harder for parents to know exactly what their child is experiencing on the platform at any given time.
Language development depends on real-time, back-and-forth interaction. When a child spends hours on Roblox instead of conversation and imaginative play, critical windows for language growth are underutilized. The University of Sharjah study also found that 68.8% of children exceeding seven hours of screen time did not participate in any physical activity, and the displacement extends to conversation, family interaction, and social experiences that build vocabulary and pragmatic language.
Signs gaming may be affecting your child’s communication:
How Speech and Language Therapy Helps
At Talking Brains Center, our speech-language pathologists assess whether language milestones are on track and create personalized intervention plans. We work in Arabic, French, and English to rebuild conversational skills, expand vocabulary, and strengthen the social language skills that screen time cannot replace.
Children glued to screens miss the physical play that builds coordination, body awareness, and fine motor skills. UAE experts have flagged children becoming aggressive or withdrawn after extended gaming. One Abu Dhabi mother shared in Gulf News how her son grew volatile during online play and was resentful when she initially banned games entirely.
Warning signs to watch for:
How Psychomotor Therapy Helps
At Talking Brains Center, psychomotor therapy sessions help children strengthen executive functions like planning, self-regulation, and impulse control, the skills excessive gaming erodes. Through movement-based interventions, children rebuild coordination, body awareness, and emotional regulation.
Dubai-based cybersecurity experts report that approximately 90% of children playing online games like Roblox have witnessed or experienced bullying. Gaming addiction is increasingly recognized as a genuine mental health concern in the UAE, with doctors at International Modern Hospital Dubai flagging obsessive preoccupation with gaming, withdrawal symptoms, and neglect of school and hygiene. Abu Dhabi opened the UAE’s first digital detox clinic for children in March 2025.
Signs your child may need support:
How Psychotherapy Helps
At Talking Brains Center, our psychologists work with children and families on anxiety, behavioral challenges, sleep disorders, and family communication. Family therapy sessions also help parents set healthy digital boundaries while maintaining a strong parent-child connection.
Book a free assessment with our multidisciplinary team to understand how gaming may be affecting your child’s development.
Book a Free Assessment📞 +971 55 896 7482 | ✉️ info@talkingbrainscenter.com
If gaming habits are affecting your child’s communication, behavior, academic performance, or emotional wellbeing, early intervention makes a significant difference. At Talking Brains Center in Dubai, our multidisciplinary team provides comprehensive assessments and personalized treatment plans.
Our DHA-licensed, all-female Lebanese team offers sessions in Arabic, French, and English.
Talking Brains Center is a DHA-licensed therapy center in Dubai Silicon Oasis, helping children, adults, and seniors overcome communication, developmental, and psychological challenges since 2015.
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