The British Army has been criticised for using social media to suggest to teenagers on GCSE results day that a career in the armed forces was still available to them if they didn’t get good exam results.

Child Soldiers International have revealed that the MoD used paid-for Facebook adverts to target to 16-year-olds.

The charity claimed that the advertising campaign was preying on young people at “times of great stress“ when students are worried about their future.

One advert, which ran just before GCSE results day in August 2015 read: “No matter what your results will be, you can still improve yourself in the army.”

Rachel Taylor, the director of programmes at Child Soldiers International, said: ”The MoD continues to target teenagers to fix the recruitment shortfall and this is another example of their strategy to recruit at the youngest possible age.

“Explicitly doing so around GCSE results day is exploitative and preys on those who may be panicking after getting disappointing results in their exams. The MoD should be enforcing the policy of successive governments to support the most disadvantaged teenagers to succeed academically, gaining at least a grade C GCSE in English and maths, including through resits if necessary.

“It should not be exploiting the disappointment of the most vulnerable teens. The answer to these issues is not underage enlistment, it is proper state investment in a full range of educational and training opportunities for all.”

Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Show all 20 1 /20 Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Winner of the Professional Op Herrick Portfolio category An air insertion operation mounted by British soldiers and Afghan police, re-establishing government control in an area of Helmand province, Afghanistan Sgt Rupert Frere Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Best Overall Professional Army PR Image Former Garrison Sergeant Major, The Household Division and London District, WO1 William Mott OBE MVO inspecting Nijmegen Company Grenadier Guards. The photo is titled 'How can you forget to shave?' Sgt Rupert Frere Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Winner of the Professional Portrait category Sergeant John S Kabia from the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) at a camp in Kono, Sierra Leone during the Ebola outbreak Paul Shaw ABIPP Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Winner of the Amateur Portrait category Cpl Dave Johns holding a photograph of his eldest son who in turn is holding a picture of his younger brother. The photo is titled 'Me and my boys' Pte Rebecca Brown Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Best Overall Professional Op Herrick Image Private John Mitchell resting after patrolling through the night in the Upper Sangin Valley, Afghanistan. The photo is titled 'Black Watch' Sgt Rupert Frere Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Winner of the Professional Op Herrick Portfolio category Cpl Carl Hines of the Royal Artillery providing covering fire while members of 4 Brigade Reconnaissance Force cross open ground in Lashkar Gah, Afghanistan Sgt Rupert Frere Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Winner of the Professional Op Herrick Portfolio category Soldiers serving with 16 Air Assault Brigade seated on a Royal Air Force C17 for the final leg of their journey to Afghanistan Sgt Rupert Frere Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Winner of the Professional Op Herrick Portfolio category Members of 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment resting in a secure compound while on patrol around Char Coucha village near Lashkar Gah, Afghanistan Sgt Rupert Frere Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Winner of the Professional Op Herrick Portfolio category The US Army's 502nd Regiment supplying fire support for 5 Armoured Engineer Squadron, Royal Engineers during Operation HAMKARI in Afghanistan Sgt Rupert Frere Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Winner Britain's soldiers at work. The photo is titled 'Mortar at Night' Cpl James McAllister Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Winner of the Professional Sport category The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery has left the noise and confines of London for equestrian and military training in the rural West Country. Enjoying the best of the Indian Summer in Cornwall, twelve horses and riders from Centre Section left their temporary stables in RAF St Mawgan just after dawn this morning to take to the surf on Watergate Bay Beach. The photo is titled 'Surf's Up' Sgt Rupert Frere Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Winner Soldiers at work. The photo is titled 'Sitrep' LCpl Paul-Rui Penu Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Winner in the Professional Portfolio category, 2nd Place One of the ceremonial horses involved in the parade and a Grenadier Guard in the stables before the Colonels Review. Photo is titled 'Ceremonial Selfie' Cpl Jamie Peters Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Winner Sergeant Richard McKinnon a Royal Logistic Corp Bomb disposal expert checks the fuse on the World War II era SC 250kg German Bomb. The photo is titled 'Bombs Away' Sgt Rupert Frere Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Winner This is taken on a Civilian Aircraft, taking Troops from Aldergrove Airfield in Northern Ireland on their first leg of the long trip to southern Afghanistan at the beginning of op Herrick 10. The photo is titled 'Here I go again' Sgt Rupert Frere Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Runner Up in Best Professional Op Herrick Portfolio category Ranger Pete Mawhinney returns fire, with his General Purpose Machine Gun, after Taliban attempt to ambush his patrol Sgt Rupert Frere Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Winner in the Professional Op Herrick Portfolio, 2nd Place Corporal Calum Cooper Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland talks to local children while he carries out searches on compounds. Photo is titled 'Kids' Sgt Rupert Frere Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Winner in the Professional Soldiering category British Army Short Term Training Team (STTT) deliver training to the Ukrainian military Corporal Tom Evans Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Best Overall Professional Op Herrick Image, Highly Commended Boy soldier, Fusilier John Bryant. an 18 year old soldier from A Company, The Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland. In the muddy compound where he lives the 18 year old soldiers patrol on the front line in Helmand Province Afghanistan. The photo is titled 'Boy Soldier' Sgt Rupert Frere Army Photographic Competition 2015 winners Winner in the Professional Op Herrick Portfolio category, 2nd Place The photo is titled 'Re Supply' Sgt Rupert Frere

Ms Taylor claimed that raising the age of recruitment would not deter people from joining the army, suggesting that ”raising the enlistment age to 18 does not deny anyone the opportunity to join the armed forces if they wish to do so, just as nobody is denied the opportunity to join the police, the fire service or ambulance service which all have a minimum age of 18 or higher”.

The targetted adverts came to light after Plaid Cymru MP Liz Saville-Roberts issued a PQ requesting information on “each social media asset used in paid campaigns” by the British Army.

The UK is one of only 46 countries who recruit under-18s and the only European state which allow people to join the army at 16.

While British soldiers can not to be sent to war zones until they are 18 years old, Child Soldiers International claim 16- and 17-year-old soldiers have a higher incidence of mental health and behavioural problems than older recruits.

The charity found that between the years of 2015 and 2017 the MoD ran 578 recruitment paid-for adverts on Facebook.

A British Army spokesperson said: “As the UK’s largest provider of apprenticeships the army is proud to offer all education leavers the opportunity to better themselves while enjoying an army career.

“It should be no surprise that, like most major employers, our recruitment campaigns applies some focus on individuals leaving school, college and university, as this is when they make career decisions.”