China’s competitive education system is known for rigorous assessment, rigorous focus, and academic pressure. Recent research highlights this growing problem of academic pressure that is causing burnout among Chinese adolescents and driving them to online gaming. While previous research has been able to demonstrate a link between academic burnout and behavioral addictions, this study reveals how academic burnout can lead to Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) and explains how depression and negative attention can have a chain reaction that increases overall risk.
To achieve this objective, a research team led by Professor Liping Jia and Professor Guohua Lu from the Department of Psychology at Shandong Second Medical University in China conducted an extensive study with more than 2,000 students in grades 7 to 9. Studies have shown that students suffering from academic burnout often turn to internet games as a means of distraction and self-affirmation. Published online on March 24, 2026. pediatric survey According to the magazine, the study highlights that while Internet games provide an immediate sense of accomplishment, this temporary feeling can quickly turn into an addiction. We focused on the need for specific prevention strategies to reduce IGD and improve mental health status among Chinese teenagers.
The study found that teenage depression is a key factor linking academic burnout and IGD, and that students who experience burnout are more likely to experience decreased motivation and feelings of hopelessness in activities of daily living. These emotional difficulties lead students to turn to internet games as a coping mechanism.
Our study shows that academic burnout activates internal psychological pathways in adolescents, and emotional factors, especially depressive symptoms, play a central mediating role in IGD. Adolescents who experience burnout are more likely to have negative thoughts about learning and self-esteem, which can lead to or worsen symptoms of depression. ”
Department of Psychology, Shandong Second Medical University, Liping Jia
In addition to depression, another important factor is negative attentional bias that mediates the relationship between academic burnout and adolescent IGD. Specifically, higher levels of academic burnout predicted stronger negative attentional biases and greater severity of IGD. One plausible explanation could be that academic burnout, as a state of chronic psychological exhaustion, weakens attentional control, enhances the processing of negative information and attentional biases, and makes individuals more sensitive to failure-related or aversive cues.
This study strengthens the contention that depressive symptoms and negative attentional bias mediate the relationship between academic burnout and adolescent IGD. “When teenagers are stressed and mentally exhausted with schoolwork, they develop negative thoughts and turn to internet games for solace, reducing their ability to cope with real-life situations. This cycle continues, leading to an increase in IGD.” Professor Lu explains:
Researchers found that understanding this mechanism is important for designing targeted prevention strategies for adolescents exposed to academic stress. Schools can hold mental health check camps and counseling sessions for teens suffering from IGD to reduce academic stress and create a more balanced learning environment. Researchers also found that evidence-based programs such as stress management and positive psychology courses could further strengthen students’ resilience and emotional regulation. High-risk students may benefit from therapy sessions and group-based stress reduction programs. Importantly, attentional bias modification training can help redirect adolescents’ attentional resources toward positive information, thereby reducing the negative effects of gaming behavior and lowering the risk of IGD.
Researchers say further longitudinal studies are needed to better understand the underlying mechanisms behind the negative effects of academic stress and internet gaming on teens. Internet gaming addiction in teenagers is strongly associated with stress, attention-related issues, and mental health issues, and as the pressure to do better in school increases, it becomes even more important to address these deeper issues beyond mere screen time.
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Reference magazines:
Lee, Y. others. (2026) Academic burnout and Internet gaming disorder in Chinese adolescents: The mediating linkage of depressive symptoms and the role of negative attentional bias. pediatric survey. DOI: 10.1002/ped4.70052. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ped4.70052.
