Introduction In today’s inter-connected world, social media (networking) has become an integral part of our daily lives. A "social network" is defined by the Oxford Dictionary (2014) is “a dedicated website or other application which enables users to communicate with each other by posting information, comments, messages, images” and the like. Providers of Social Networking Sites (SNS) have become technological giants of modern times (Alloway et al. 2013) due to their ever-rising popularity among the people across the age. While number of users of social media grows at an exponential pace, factors such as the age group and interests are seen to play a major role in deciding the type of social media chosen. Social networking undoubtedly brings many benefits on various fronts; however, it is not without its fair share of critics. Popular social media such as Facebook and YouTube are extensively used by learners of various age groups, driving much debate and literature on the impacts social media have on academic performance of students. Therefore, in the light of literature written about social networking, this paper discusses both positive and negative impacts social networking have on the academic achievement of students. Critical Evaluation Of The Impacts Social Networking Have On Academic Performance “Impacts of Social Networking” is now a broadly debated topic worldwide, especially the role of Social Networking Sites (SNS) in shaping students’ academic performance. As per recent research, SNS contribute to several negative impacts on academic performance of students (Visser 2004). As many students devote prolonged time to these networks, it is highly likely to face difficulty in completing homework tasks, learning, and getting adequate sleep to meet their academic responsibilities (Patti et al. 2006). This hypothesis is in complete agreement with Kanagavel & Velayutham (2010) findings where Dutch students who spent less t