Does school-related burnout influence problematic Facebook use?

• Feeling exhausted or overwhelmed by schoolwork increases the risk for problematic Facebook use among girls.
• Getting the impression of inadequacy at school increases the risk for problematic Facebook use among boys.
• Internet and in particular Facebook appears to offer an escape opportunity for adolescents with a stressful school context.

The internet and social networks, Facebook in particular, are often used by adolescents. According to recent studies this use might sometimes become problematic or addictive. At the same time, high school students are exposed to stress due to the pressures of school work, and this stress might result in burnout syndrome. The aim of this study is to explore whether there is an association between the intensity of burnout and problematic use of Facebook. Two hundred eighty-six high school students completed questionnaires assessing problematic use of Facebook and three dimensions of school-related burnout. The results show that there is an association between burnout and problematic use of Facebook. The “exhausting at schoolwork” dimension for girls and the “feelings of inadequacy at school” dimension among boys are particularly related to problematic Facebook use.