A new study reveals how social media use could affect the self-perceived body image of young women.

Being active on social media may affect how young women perceive their own appearance.

Recently, the effects of social media use on our mental health and well-being have been the topic of much debate.

According to the social displacement theory, for example, the more time we spend socializing online, the less time we're likely to spend socializing in the offline world.

This could lead to a decrease in one's overall well-being.

However, recent studies have dispelled this myth, with researchers arguing that social media is "not bad in the way people think it is."

Other studies have drawn links between social media use and loneliness, suggesting that going on a social media "detox" lowers feelings of depression and loneliness.

Does social media have any effect on body confidence and how we perceive our own appearance, however?

New research — led by Jennifer Mills, an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at York University in Toronto, Canada, and Jacqueline Hogue, a Ph.D. student in the department's Clinical Program — examined the effects of social media on the self-perceived body image of young women.