Parents are advised regularly and strongly to monitor their children’s online activities. The Internet is a jungle in which many predators stalk naive youngsters, it is explained.

On Aug. 10, a 16-year-old girl who lived near Charleston, W.Va., was reported missing. On Saturday, her body was found on the Ohio River bank in Meigs County, Ohio.

Police have arrested an Ohio man in the girl’s death. They say the two had been in contact online, through the popular Craigslist website. The man allegedly drove to West Virginia on Aug. 9, with the intent of having sex with the girl.

No one can say with certainty that monitoring the girl’s online activity would have prevented her death. Teenagers have ways of protecting their privacy.

Still, checking up on a child’s activities – online, on the cellphone and in person – at least provides a layer of safety. Will the kids resent it? Of course.

But is there a chance such snooping will protect them from danger?

Yes. So if you are a parent, do it.