Tim Woda thought he knew everything necessary to keep his child safe on the Internet. He had parental control software on his teenage son's computer and Woda himself worked in computer programming.

Then, 18 months ago, he discovered his 15-year-old son was a target for an Internet predator. His son was on Facebook and talked to a new correspondent or "friend." That friend turned out to be a 42-year-old lacrosse coach who was an online predator.

Woda went to the authorities to investigate the case. Police said they didn't have the resources and the case was out of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's jurisdiction. He started his own investigation, using his computer skills to find the predator's identification. The information led to the man's arrest.

Woda started KidSafe, a program that provides information and will sell software to help parents monitor any threat on their children's computers.

His story was part of a recent presentation called "Champions Keeping KidSafe" at the James J. Eagan Center in Florissant. The sponsor was Business of Champions which was co-founded by St. Louis Cardinal Hall of Famer Lou Brock. Business of Champions connects high-profile individuals with causes and business ventures. Participants at the presentation were invited to try a free, pilot version of the KidSafe software before it goes on sale.

At the meeting, Brock said he learned about the Internet's dangers through friends.

"My wife and I decided we had to do something about it," Brock said. "(Microsoft co-founder) Bill Gates once said the Internet is a superhighway of information and the police don't patrol it. You have to patrol it yourself. Our kids are on the superhighway and there are people waiting for them to go out of bounds. The kids are growing up in a digital world and the parents are immigrants."

Woda's experience made Woda think about his son's safety.

"I looked back and wonder what I could have done differently," said Woda, who lives near Washington, D.C. "That's why I realized we have to research how our kids use the Internet. There's a lot on it that parents need to know about."

Florissant resident Stacy Abbott, 42, attended the presentation with her family. She, too, has concerns about where Internet information is going and who has access to it.

"When I was growing up, we had the luxury of making fools of ourselves and not worrying about people seeing it," she said. "Now, it can end up in someone's computer forever."

The technology has changed quickly, Woda said.

"Kids used to use the family telephone," he said. "The parents had a pulse on what's going on. Today, the kids are social and mobile. There is an information gap with parents about who and when the kids are talking."

Young people have a variety of ways to go online, whether its computer, mobile phone, library or school computers, Woda said.

With the Internet, minors can face bullying, be solicited for sex, send nude photos or have personal discussions with strangers. Part of the problem is the anonymity.

"On the Internet, people can say things about you that they wouldn't say to your face," Woda said after the meeting. "It's hard to fight it when you can't find out who's talking about you."

Facts about minors and the Internet

- The average minor texts 3,100 messages a month

- 80 percent sleep with their cell phones, so not to miss any messages

- 33 percent have been the victims of cyberbulling

- 1 of 5 have sent nude photos

- 1 of 3 have received nude photos

- 20 percent have been sexually solicited over the Internet

- 70 percent communicate with strangers

Source: Tim Woda of KidSafe