Social Media Addiction as a Predictor of Academic Burnout: The Mediating Role of Sleep Quality in Adolescents

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the predictive relationship between social media addiction and academic burnout among adolescents, with sleep quality examined as a mediating variable. Methods and Materials: A descriptive correlational design was employed with a sample of 399 Indonesian adolescents, determined using the Morgan and Krejcie table for adequate statistical power. Standardized instruments were used to assess social media addiction, sleep quality, and academic burnout. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 27 for descriptive and correlational analyses and AMOS version 21 for Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to test bivariate associations, and SEM was applied to evaluate the mediating role of sleep quality. Model fit indices, including χ²/df, CFI, TLI, and RMSEA, were used to assess the adequacy of the proposed model. Findings: Inferential results showed a significant positive correlation between social media addiction and academic burnout (r = .41, p < .001). Sleep quality was found to be negatively correlated with both social media addiction (r = –.36, p < .001) and academic burnout (r = –.39, p < .001). SEM analysis confirmed that social media addiction significantly predicted academic burnout both directly (β = .29, p < .001) and indirectly through sleep quality (β = .15, p < .01), indicating a partial mediation effect. Model fit indices demonstrated acceptable values (χ²/df = 2.44, CFI = 0.94, TLI = 0.92, RMSEA = 0.061), supporting the validity of the hypothesized model. Conclusion: The findings highlight that social media addiction is a significant predictor of academic burnout in adolescents, with poor sleep quality acting as an important mediating factor. These results underscore the necessity of interventions targeting both responsible social media use and sleep hygiene practices to mitigate academic burnout among adolescents.