Academic Burnout in Teens

 According to an article in the National Center for Health Statistics, Organized Sports Participation Among Children Aged 6–17 Years: United States, 2020, “In 2020, 54.1% of children aged 6–17 years participated in sports during the past 12 months.” Most children are also guaranteed hours of schoolwork and studying throughout the week. So where does time for watching movies, hanging out with friends, and bedrotting go? How does a busy student with mountains of to-dos maintain a good mental health? The answer is that many students simply do not. An article from Adolescent and School Health published in 2024 tells us that in 2023, the CDC discovered 40% of high school students were struggling with their mental health. The report also found out that 20% of students surveyed had considered suicide. Although it is easy to get into a rhythm of waking up, going to school, practicing sports, and sleeping again, this is likely to cause burnout within most students, and poor mental health amongst many.

So what is academic burnout? An article from the University of Georgia, How to Combat Academic Burnout, states “Academic burnout can be defined as a negative emotional, physical and mental reaction to prolonged study that results in exhaustion, frustration, lack of motivation and reduced ability in school.” With our previous survey showing that over 50% of students are involved in sports during teen years, it is easy to see how this issue has risen for adolescents over the years. Sports require long hours of commitment, demanding training, and mental determination. With so many hours dedicated to training and athletic improvement, many students are likely to worsen their mental health from burning out. Emma Dibenedetto, a sophomore at RHS and member of Varsity Track, says that being in a competitive sport and dealing with schoolwork can be very stressful at times. It can get especially difficult before tests or busy academic weeks. Dibenedetto states that, while running is a great way to release stress, “having practice, which can last almost 2 hours, will take away from doing stuff after school”. She also explains it as, “an added stress factor to my life”. While sports are proven to be beneficial to mental health, the combination of having sports and schoolwork is still a lot for any adolescent. Without the right balance, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and drained.

Schoolwork is another key factor that causes burnout. For high school students, hours of homework is average. One student, Vivienne Duggal, a freshman at RHS, stated that she spends “around 4 hours on homework and studying” daily. While this might seem like a manageable amount, it is proven that having excess amounts of work can create worsened mental health among adolescents. Further, Duggal claims that she sometimes feels “pannicky because of the amount of school and stress”. Ellie Kwak, a Sophomore at RHS, spends about 3-4 total hours studying and doing homework each night. 4 hours a day times 7 days a week is about 28 hours a week, or nearly 17% of the week. Adding in about 34 hours of school each week, around 37% of the week is being occupied by school or school work. This is without factoring in clubs, sports, or sleep hours. Outside of school and sleep, this leaves students with nearly no time to do anything leisurely or for themselves. With little time to be social or rest, burnout becomes common, and teenagers suffer the most from this because of their loads of work.

Burnout can negatively impact the mental health of teens everywhere. According to The Rise of Burnout in Teens: Why They're Exhausted and What Can Help, An article published in July of 2025, “Around two-thirds of teens now report experiencing burnout, a state of physical and emotional exhaustion that extends far beyond typical tiredness.” This article also went on to acknowledge that sports can further drain students' mental health. Understanding what academic burnout is is important, so what can we do to prevent this from happening?

Knowing how academic burnout happens, it is important to take steps to prevent this from occuring. Mental health days are a very beneficial method of preventing burnout. Taking a day off from school every once in a while to rest and relax can  make the work feel more manageable to many students. Another way to prevent burnout is having a good sleep schedule. An article How sleep affects mental health (and vice versa): What the science says By Rachel Tompa, shows that having better sleep improves mental health. Consistently sleeping early and getting 8+ hours of sleep is an excellent way to promote positive mental health, and prevent teenagers from overworking. Additionally, knowing your limits is essential to staying happy and mindful. If you are too tired to go to practice, or feel unwell, it is important to understand when you need a break. While persevering is important, rest is too, and when you need a break, it is important to put yourself first. Ultimately, burnout is a severe cause of worsened mental health amongst adolescence, but there are many ways to prevent it from occurring. Knowing your limits and getting good sleep are two of many possible precautions to take against academic burnout.

Links/Citations:

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db441.htm

https://www.cdc.gov/healthy-youth/mental-health/index.html

https://online.uga.edu/news/how-combat-academic-burnout/

https://hopesdestiny.com/blog/the-rise-of-burnout-in-teens/