Parents got a frightening reminder last week of the dangers awaiting children whose online activities go unsupervised. Four men were arrested for allegedly soliciting a minor online, as a result of work done by the West Virginia State Police and the FBI.

These four men, ranging in age from 25-50, had believed they were communicating with children online — sending lewd photos and arranging to meet for sex acts. Thank goodness the person with whom they were communicating was an undercover member of law enforcement, because these suspects went further than online communication. They drove to Parkersburg — some of them from Ohio, and in a crushing winter storm — believing they were about to meet and engage in sexual activity with the children they thought they had been grooming. Dangers lurk for children online that simply would not have existed before the internet age.

“They’re all dangerous for kids,” said West Virginia State Police Cpl. J.M. DeMeyer, who is on the Internet Crimes Against Children task force. “Any computer, phone or media device that has the capability to send or take pictures as well as message and communicate are very dangerous because predators prey on kids on the internet.”

It cannot get any plainer than that. Predators prey on kids on the internet.

Parents cannot afford to ignore that danger, or to allow children to go online without being monitored.

It’s not an easy conversation, but it is essential. The alternatives are unthinkable.