Generally it is believed that as an international student you are exempted from paying taxes while studying abroad. This is true for a lot of countries except for the United States of America. As an international student you need to file for taxes irrespective of the fact that you are earning or not. While studying in the USA, you must know the whole procedure of paying taxes as an international student to avoid getting into any legal troubles.
All F1 student visa holders must file for taxes. It doesn't matter if you're earning or not, no one is exempted. But the good part is that if you're not earning anything in the USA then you do not have to pay any taxes. Still everyone has to file for taxes. As an international student you will have to file Form 8843. To fill this form you will need to apply for an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). If you're working as a part-time student in the USA for 20 hours a week then you will have to file some additional forms as well. This includes the W-4 tax form.
