Wife asks husband to pretend to be a young woman online. The result was "horrible".

One man in the UK has learnt the hard way – the only way – the extent of abuse and sexual harassment women on the internet all-too-often suffer.

It was an experiment set up by a speaker, writer and researcher in sexual violence from Staffordshire, Jessica Eaton.

She asked her husband Alex to set up two accounts on a “generic non-sexual forum”. One as an 18-year-old male with a “boring chat name” and the other as an 18-year-old female, also with a “boring” name.

Guess what happened?

On the male’s account: “NOTHING HAPPENED”

On the female’s account, it was an entirely different (yet all too familiar) result.

“Within seconds he had eight inbox messages from men and the first one he opened was a full pic of a guy’s dick,” Jessica posted on Twitter. “The other men were asking him if he was really 18 or if he was a child and then started asking him to do sexual stuff.”

4. The other men were asking him if he was really 18 or if he was a child and then started asking him to do sexual stuff

— Jessica Eaton (@Jessicae13Eaton) August 24, 2017

“One account sent him porn gifs relentlessly. He got hundreds of messages in a few minutes and couldn’t keep up.”

Welcome to the internet, Alex.

He received hundreds of messages in total. One from a man posing as a ‘teacher’ trying to meet in person. And so many dick pics Alex “dreaded” opening the messages.

Jessica said her husband learned a valuable lesson. She tweeted: “He then turned to me and said ‘this is shocking – this has opened my eyes Jess, this is horrible’.”

8. I said to him – ‘that’s what you get for being female online’ and he just stared as hundreds more messages poured in

— Jessica Eaton (@Jessicae13Eaton) August 24, 2017

She hopes other men might learn – or even experiment and experience – something similar.

Creepshots are the gross new way to secretly harass women.