A recent report from Pew Research Center has shown that roughly 4 in 10 of US adults have personally experienced online harassment. 75% of people, stated that the majority of abuse happens on social media, and 24% of the abused indicated that texting or messaging apps were where their most recent experience occurred.

Recently, Instagram has launched a new feature to filter abusive messages in DMs. Twitter has also revealed a new prompt that asks users to think twice before posting an abusive message. However, the problem of online harassment seems to have permeated all layers of our online presence, and these tools may reach just the tip of the problematic iceberg.

So in order to see what really happens in these dark pages of private messages where people are constantly made to feel really uncomfortable, the subreddit r/CreepyPMs has shed some light on things that end up in our inboxes.

“A place for people to share the strange and disturbing PMs they get from all over the internet,” says the group’s description and it’s honestly the part of the internet we all would be better off without.

#1 Saw This On Tumblr, Yes Sorry On Tumblr

Image credits: GregRawlins

#2 Smh, Who Wouldn't Date Shrek?

Image credits: TinyJu

#3 My Fav Comeback To A Dick Pic

Image credits: B0DY4DAYZ

The internet has given us incredible freedom to communicate with people across the globe, share our thoughts, and get to know things all without leaving the house. But it came with the price of putting too much freedom in people's hands in a virtual space where identities, actions, and accountabilities for them are often blurred.

The rise of cyberbullying and online harassment via private messages, comments, online groups, and forums has reached its peak. From impersonation accounts to hateful slurs, death threats, unsolicited messages of a sexual nature, and so on, the problem is pervasive and ever-growing.

#4 I Got Messaged By A Master Hacker

Image credits: reddit.com

#5 My New Self Defense Mechanism

Image credits: SaltFetish

#6 At Least He Tried

Image credits: pomplamousse200

And to fight it, it’s important to identify and be aware that you or someone close to you has become a target of online harassment. It’s when an abuser uses technology to harass, threaten, embarrass, or target another person. It happens on devices like smartphones, computers, tablets, and gaming systems.

Sometimes cyberbullying can be easy to spot—for example, if your child shows you a text, comment, or post that is harsh, mean, or cruel. Other acts are less obvious, like posting someone's personal information, or using photos or videos that hurt or embarrass another person.

#7 Oh So I Just Don’t Matter In May?!

Image credits: iExorcism

#8 After I Declined His Request For Nudes He Complimented My Boyfriend

Image credits: kyekyekyekye

#9 My Charming Old Babysitter Feels Like I Owe Him Sex

Image credits: rixoky

Harvard Business Review has reported that people of color and LGBTQ+ people are disproportionately targeted, and women are twice as likely as men to experience sexual harassment online.

PEN America, which stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect open expression in the United States and worldwide, has created a useful Online Harassment Field Manual that will give you more information on navigating online abuse. Most importantly, remember that you’re not powerless and that there are concrete steps to be taken.