People who surf the internet sometimes think that they are hidden behind a cloak of secrecy. The same is sometimes true for people who enjoy texting. Not having to see a person face-to-face seems to make people say or do things they wouldn’t otherwise. One thing that might occur is that individuals will exchange selfies or sexts. As innocent as this seems, there are times when this can cause serious problems.
One thing that you have to be especially careful about is who is receiving your pictures and who you are receiving them from. You can face criminal charges if you exchange explicit pictures with a person who isn’t an adult. Verifying age is a good idea, but might not be possible in all cases. Being cautious is always a good idea.
Massachusetts has expanded the laws regarding child pornography to include any visual pictures that depict minors if they are shared or viewed with a lascivious intent. This makes it much easier for the prosecution to show that you broke the law.
If there are individuals you are sharing messages with who appear to be young adults or minors, it might be best to avoid sending explicit pictures back and forth with them. Additionally, if you do receive any from them, don’t share them.
On top of selfies and sexts, you have to think about what you are viewing online. Anything that depicts minors can lead to child porn charges. Unfortunately, it can be difficult for you to come up with suitable defense strategy for this type of charge. It is best if you look into your options from as soon as you know you are facing these charges.
