Keeping our children safe from harm will always be a top priority, but in this age of the information highway it becomes even more challenging to protect our children from predators who would use the Internet to expose our children to danger.

I recently attended a program sponsored by the Child Abuse Prevention Services (CAPS) which dealt with Internet safety. A panel of speakers discussed online dangers and the risks associated with children using the Internet for unsupervised activities.

The program was interesting in many ways and I found that there were many things I myself did not know. For instance, one in every four children has had unwanted exposure to viewing sexual activity on line; one in every five children has received an online sexual solicitation; and one in 33 children has been solicited for a meeting or has received a call, email, money or gift from an online predator. The scariest part is that fewer than 10 percent of sexual solicitations and only three percent of unwanted exposure episodes were ever reported to authorities.

In addition, children may become exposed to situations in which they are encouraged to participate in illegal activities, and children may innocently become involved in behavior that results in legal or financial trouble for their parents.

Educating our children about the dangers on the Internet and what is appropriate and inappropriate behavior is the first step toward providing them with the resources necessary to ensure their safety. A few simple precautions can prevent trouble before it occurs.

First of all learn everything you can about the Internet. Recognize when there may be trouble. This could include your child spending long hours online, unrecognizable phone numbers on the phone bill, unaccounted-for charges on credit card statements, and attempts by your child to hide certain online activities.

Parents can ensure their child is protected by knowing all passwords for their Internet accounts, monitoring the sites children are visiting, and paying attention to how much time children are spending on the computer. Keep the computer in a common area in your home, rather than in a child's bedroom. The information highway can be a dangerous place for children. It's up to parents to make sure they are not left to travel on their own.

Please report all child-exploitation violations to: 1-800-843-5678, www.cybertipline.com, or www.fbi.gov. Or for more information on this subject call the Child Abuse Prevention Services at 516-621-0552.