ALBANY — The school year is winding down and law enforcement officials are reminding parents to protect their children from potential danger on the Internet.

Police and prosecutors held a news conference Tuesday morning to highlight recent arrests in the region for child pornography, identity theft, online enticement and fraud.

New York State Police Superintendent Harry J. Corbitt said parents shouldn’t think their children are safe because they are in the comfort of home.

“This time of year children will be getting out of school for summer and will have more time to be online. Although the home may seem safe, I encourage parents to take a more active role in supervising their children while they are on the Internet and to make themselves aware of the prevalence of online predators,” Corbitt said.

Lt. Joseph Donahue has been with the state police computer crime unit for 10 years. He said parents have many avenues to find help to filter what their children are exposed to on the Internet.

“Some providers, like AOL, have parent controls that can be activated, and there are other software filters available to block kids from sites you don’t want them to access,” he said. “

He said some software is updated every day through downloads that catch additional problem sites as they are discovered.

“Often inappropriate sites are discovered by parents who contact the software company, which adds them to the list,” he said.

Troopers offer a number of safety tips for parents to discuss with their children. A full list is available on the state police Web site, http://www.troopers.state.ny.us/Crime_Prevention/Online_Safety/My_Online_Safety_Rules/.

Not sharing personal information such as names, addresses and telephone numbers is top on the list.

Besides warning children about how they should and shouldn’t behave while on the Internet, police said parents should be present and aware of what is on the computer screen.

If a child becomes uneasy or defensive when an adult walks into the room, it could be a signal that the child is up to something unusual or even forbidden.

“Parents should walk around the room when their kid is on the computer,” he said. “Take the computer out of the bedroom and keep an eye on what is happening.”

He said abbreviated and symbolic language of instant messaging includes the letters POS, which stand for “Parent Over Shoulder,” a warning to the person on the other end that an adult is watching the messaging.

“We should give kids some slack if they’re typing with a boyfriend, but if they’re pounding away on the keyboard with some guy name Frank in California, you need to ask why they stopped typing,” he said.

Terrance P. Flynn, U.S. attorney for the Western District of New York, said parents may be impressed with their children’s computer savvy, but they cannot assume that children understand the risks.

“Notwithstanding their considerable technical abilities, [they are] often just naive and vulnerable kids who are ill-equipped to recognize the very real dangers which exist on the Internet,” he said. “It is hoped that we can teach today’s youth not to switch off their brain when they switch on to the Internet.”

State police Lt. Glen Miner said adults should be cautious in their own use of the Internet for communication and business.

A state police initiative conducted by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force between March and May resulted in more than 350 investigations involving the online sexual exploitation of children, child pornography possession and dissemination, as well as online frauds or scams.

The statewide investigations resulted in prosecutors issuing more than 180 subpoenas and police executing more than 50 search warrants.

Police said more than 60 arrests were made and more are expected as investigations continue.