Soledad O'Brien Says 'Quiet on Set' Parents Were Victims Too, Slams Industry

The parents of those who claim to have been victimized on 'Quiet on Set' had no real shot to protect their kids -- so says Soledad O'Brien, who slams the industry.

We talked to the veteran journo -- who's set to host a moderated convo with some of those who were interviewed on 'Quiet on Set' in a new episode airing this weekend -- and she gives us her two cents about where some of the parents land in this equation in terms of blame.

She gives us an interesting take ... while she says many in the public believe some of these child stars might've been groomed at Nickelodeon ... Soledad argues the parents were too.

Check it out ... she says the way this biz works -- and has for a long time, she insists -- is basically designed by default to box parents out -- to the point where it isolates these kids and puts them in positions of vulnerability, to where predators can then pounce on them.

With that in mind, it doesn't sound like Soledad holds anything against the parents of the ex-child stars who say they've been victimized -- including Drake Bell -- even though the internet has suggested otherwise.

Fact is ... there's been a lot of criticism hurled against the moms and dads of some of these 'Quiet on Set' interview subjects ... but Soledad is kinda cutting them a break here.

In terms of the industry at large, Soledad says these child networks need to look at themselves in the mirror in terms of how they operate ... because she believes this is a systemic issue, and points to Brian Peck being hired post-prison by Disney as evidence.

If you didn't know ... Peck worked on a few episodes of "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody" -- voicing The Mirror -- after he was convicted for abusing Drake ... and Soledad says that never should've been allowed to happen.

Bottom line ... Soledad says the parents should be cut some slack in all this -- because she feels like the deck was stacked against them from the get-go.