'Sexting' Teens May Face Child Porn Charges

Feb. 12, 2009 — -- The father of one of six Massachusetts teens who may face felony charges for transmitting a photo of a semi-nude female classmate on their cell phones said today he thinks his son is being treated unfairly.

"This photo went around the whole school and it just happened that a few kids got caught," said Brian Hunt, father of 13-year-old Ben Hunt, who is an eighth grader at the Lawrence School in Falmouth, Mass.

Ben Hunt and five other teens were questioned by police after they were caught sending and receiving the photo and they could possibly face child pornography charges.

"I think [Ben] is being unfairly targeted," Hunt told ABCNews.com, adding that he is worried his son will face roadblocks when he applies for jobs and colleges if the felony charges stick. "These are 13-year-old kids who they're trying to charge as adults, they're not adults."

"We're dealing with teenagers here," he said.

While Hunt has identified his son as one of the six police questioned, the names of the other juveniles involved have not been released, and police have not identified the girl in the photo.

Hunt said he is speaking to the media in an effort to show law enforcement that he is dealing with his son's missteps.

Hunt described the photo that his son received and then sent to a friend as an image of "a girl lifting up her shirt and showing one of her breasts."

Calls made to the lead investigator at the Falmouth Police Department by ABCNews.com were not immediately returned, but police told the Cape Cod Times that while the boys had not been arrested they will be summoned for a juvenile hearing at Falmouth District Court. A date has not yet been set for the hearing.

According to police, the boys face charges that range from possessing or exhibiting a photograph of a child in a sexual act and possession of child pornography, both of which are felony charges.

Police have confiscated all of the cell phones involved in the incident.