YouTube is a bigger distraction to children’s homework than television, a survey has found.

Pupils at private schools less likely to complete their homework assignments on time than their peers who are educated at state schools, the poll also showed.

The survey, commissioned by the online homework site Firefly Learning, quizzed over 2,000 students aged between 11 and 15 on their homework habits.

Asked what is most likely to put them off doing their homework, the most popular response among respondents was YouTube, with almost a quarter (24 per cent) citing this as their biggest distraction.

Meanwhile, 18 per cent said television was most to blame for diverting their attention, with a similar proportion citing the image sharing app Snapchat. 12 per cent said Facebook was their biggest distraction, and six per cent said Instagram.

YouTube, which is owned by Google, is becoming increasingly popular among children and teenagers as an alternative to watching traditional television programmes.