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Like MTV and Vogue magazine, Facebook increases the risk of young women objectifying themselves.

The latest study involved 150 college students and staff between the ages of 17 and 25. The study revealed that magazines significantly raise the risk of self-objectification. However, Facebook, which accounts for 40 percent of daily internet use among participants, significantly affected the way women thought about their bodies.

"Our research shows that spending more time reading magazines and on Facebook is associated with greater self-objectification among young women and these relationships are influenced by women's tendency to compare their appearance to others, particularly to peers on Facebook," the researchers commented.

"Furthermore, self-comparisons to images of a previous self might engender a greater focus on specific body parts, also contributing to self-objectification," they added.

"This was one of the first studies which shows that appearance comparisons partially account for the relationship between media usage and self-objectification. Young women report spending long periods of time on Facebook and this research highlights some of the potential negative influences that Facebook may have on how young women view their body," researchers concluded.

The findings are published in the journal Psychology of Women Quarterly.