Cognition politique et traitement des médias

Transformative moderation: Self-control redefines the relationship between social media usage perception and academic burnout among high-achieving adolescents.

Br J Educ Psychol . 2026;96 (3) :1297-1318

Résumé

BACKGROUND: Social media is increasingly integrated into adolescents' daily lives, yet its relationship with academic burnout remains poorly understood, particularly among high-achieving students. Existing research has largely overlooked perceptual dimensions of social media engagement and complex mediating and moderating mechanisms.AIMS: This study examined the relationships between social media usage perception, learning engagement, social support, self-control, and academic burnout among high-achieving adolescents, integrating the technology acceptance model, conservation of resources theory, and self-regulation perspectives.MATERIALS & METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 1000 first-year high school students (52.3% male; M age = 15.2 years) from academically selective institutions. Structural equation modelling with latent variable interactions was employed to test direct effects, serial mediation, and moderated mediation hypotheses.RESULTS: Social media usage perception significantly predicted academic burnout, with social support serving as a significant mediator. The hypothesized serial mediation through learning engagement was not supported. A counterintuitive positive relationship emerged between learning engagement and burnout. Self-control transformed the relationship between social media usage perception and learning engagement from significantly negative at low regulatory levels to significantly positive at high levels.DISCUSSION: Findings suggest that cognitive appraisals of social media, rather than usage frequency alone, drive academic burnout. The engagement-burnout paradox highlights risks of excessive academic investment among high-achieving adolescents. Self-control emerged as a transformative moderator, enabling students with high regulatory capacity to leverage positive social media perceptions for academic benefit.CONCLUSION: Outcomes of social media engagement depend on psychological resources and individual regulatory capacities rather than technological exposure alone. Interventions targeting media literacy, social support, and self-regulatory skills may most effectively mitigate academic burnout in high-achieving adolescent populations.

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