Celebrities who use social media to tell fans what they are doing "moment to moment" cannot expect to have a private life, according to Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe.

The 24-year-old actor said he stayed off sites like Twitter and Facebook in an attempt to keep a low profile.

He said: "There's certain things you can do to make it a lot easier on yourself.

"If you don't, for instance, go to premieres that aren't for a film you're in, or don't just turn up at other events and stuff like that, then that's going to help to not fuel the interest.

"Also, I don't have Twitter and I don't have Facebook and I think that makes things a lot easier because if you go on Twitter and tell everybody what you're doing moment to moment and then claim you want a private life, then no one is going to take that request seriously."

But Radcliffe, whose new show A Young Doctor's Notebook starts on Sky Arts tonight, admitted he had resented the attention he got as the young star of the Harry Potter films.

He said: "When I was 18 or 19 there was definitely a level of frustration around...I did have to think where I went more than a lot of my friends and you do get a little frustrated around that age, but ultimately it's childish, petulant - oh I want that too.

"People always say to me, 'Do you feel like you missed out on a childhood? Do you feel like you had your childhood taken away?' And I'm like: 'No, what a ridiculous, like, kids who are abused have their childhoods taken away from them.' "

Radcliffe, whose wealth has been estimated at around £50 million, said "the only time" he spends a lot of money is in bookshops where he can buy as many as 20 books in one go.