Jaleel White Responds to 'Quiet on Set' Doc, Says He Was Lucky

Jaleel White says he feels blessed over his child stardom after watching 'Quiet on Set' ... admitting he felt safe and well-protected while filming for his show.

The 'Family Matters' star told "Today" he feels lucky to have felt secure on the ABC sitcom's set, especially now that the harsh realities of the biz are coming to light and learning what former child stars allegedly went through.

JW -- who famously played Steve Urkel -- gave props to his mom for his smooth career early on ... acknowledging she wasn't perfect but crediting her for shielding him from the industry's pitfalls.

Jaleel says, "For one thing, she was a helicopter mom. She was all over my ass because the kids that are left alone are the ones that the predators tend to seek out."

His comments come amid ex-Nick stars' parents facing mounting backlash for exposing their kids to potentially risky industry environments ... all stirred up by the explosive doc.

However, Drake Bell recently stepped up to defend those parents ... saying they, too, were just as exposed and naïve.

Of course, Drake was one of the main people coming forward to reveal he was sexually abused by Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck when he was a teenager.

Other child stars also came forward with their experiences ... but it hasn't been a shared experience by all, with the likes of Melissa Joan Hart and Kenan Thompson saying they were never victimized -- but they have the victims' backs, nonetheless.