We all know how social media can be distracting.

You pop on to Facebook for ‘five minutes’ and before you know it an hour has passed.

So Andreea-Denisa Ciubotaru, 16, from Barking, got her headteacher at Eastlea Community School in Canning Town, to lock her phone away for a month so she could revise for her GCSEs without being tempted.

As a result her predicted grades have shot up from Cs plus to As.

Andreea says the cold turkey break from the handheld device meant she was much more focused on her exams, and she found she was less irritable, had much more energy and socialised more with her family.

She said: “Everyone knows how addictive your phone can be. I have told all my friends to do it.

“If I had tried to keep the phone at home I know I would have pestered my mum to give it to me so it had to be somewhere I knew I couldn’t get it.

“The first few days were very difficult, you don’t realise how much time you spend on your phone. But after a week I found that I did not miss it at all.

“It was incredible how much more I was able to concentrate. Knowing that I did not have my phone to distract me, that I could not go on Instagram or Snapchat meant I was much more focused.

“I won’t know for certain if it has helped me get better grades but I can be certain that I have given it my best effort.

She has now urged other teens preparing for exams to follow in her footsteps.

Stephen Gillatt, headteacher of the school in Pretoria Road, added: “You don’t have to be a genius to work out that less time distracted on your phone and on social media and more time studying is going to have a positive effect.

“Anyone who lives with a teenager or who teaches them knows just how much of a distraction they can be, not just in terms of academic performance but also on their capacity to function socially.

“That is why what Andreea has done is so impressive. She truly is an inspiration to all her peers.”