Children who regularly use Facebook and other online social networks tend to perform less well in school than those who use them rarely, new research has shown.

A study of more than 12,000 15-year-olds found there was the equivalent of several GCSE grades difference between the reading, maths and science results of students who were heavy users of social media and those who were not.

However, pupils who went online to play video games, rather than to chat, tended to perform better in schools because the activity enabled them to “apply and sharpen” problem-solving skills used in the classroom.