The ubiquitous use of social networking sites by students and the potential impacts of such use on academic performance are of both theoretical and practical importance. Hence, this paper addresses the question: how does the use of social networking sites influence academic performance? The present review synthesizes the empirical findings of the extant literature, via a systematic review, that examines the efforts that have been made to explicate the association between the use of social networking sites and academic performance. The review of 23 peer-reviewed papers highlights mixed findings regarding the relationship between social network use and academic performance--serving as a call for further research.