United Kingdom, March 15 -- Drake Bell feels fortunate that he didn't have to "live through" the social media era.

The 38-year-old star began his career as a child actor in the 90s, appearing on the hit TV show 'Home Improvement' and in several commercials - but Drake is grateful that he never had to deal with the scrutiny of social media.

The actor - who is perhaps best known for starring alongside Josh Peck on the Nickelodeon sitcom 'Drake and Josh' - told PEOPLE: "I'm thankful that Josh and I missed the social media era while we were working.

"We didn't have to compare, 'Why did Josh have more followers than I do on Instagram? Oh, Josh got more likes on his picture than I did that I posted. What do I have to do?' I'm just so glad th...