Reactions to the charges laid in the Rehtaeh Parsons case have been mixed, with some people asking why the suspects weren’t charged with sexual assault.

Parsons, 17, was taken off life-support in April after she hanged herself in her Halifax-area home. Her family said she was the victim of months of cyberbullying after a photo of her allegedly being sexually assaulted was circulated at her high school.

Police arrested two 18-year-old males in connection with the case Thursday morning.

At a news conference Thursday evening, police said that one of the teens has been charged with two counts of distributing child pornography. The other teen was charged with making and distributing child pornography.

Leah Parsons says she was pleased to hear charges had been laid in her daughter’s case, but admits she was hoping for more.

“This is the first time anything’s been done so I’m glad there have been charges laid,” says Leah Parsons. “I just wish there would have been more charges laid.”

Some people are asking why the teens – whose names have not been released because they were minors at the time of the alleged offences – weren’t charged with sexual assault.

“We realize that the foremost question on most people’s minds is whether or not charges of sexual assault will be laid in the case,” said Halifax Regional Police Chief Jean-Michel Blais at Thursday’s news conference.

The Avalon Sexual Assault Centre released a statement about the case Friday afternoon, saying people have been contacting the centre to express their concerns and confusion over why sexual assault charges weren’t laid.

“Due to the constraints of the law and the complexities of sexualized violence, the reality of how people are sexually victimized is not always reflected in the law,” it said.

“It is important to keep in mind that even though sexual assault charges were not laid, that does not mean that sexual assault did not occur.”

Police say, after consulting with the Crown in Nova Scotia and Ontario, it was determined there wasn’t enough evidence to support sexual assault charges.

Wayne MacKay, a law professor at Dalhousie University, says it’s unusual to see young people facing child pornography charges.

He also says that while the teens are facing some serious charges, they will likely be dealt with differently because of the age of those involved.

“The Youth Criminal Justice Act, if you’re under 18, means both a different process, different kinds of rights and things like that, but perhaps most importantly, more discretion and flexibility in sentencing and usually less sentencing,” says MacKay.

Nova Scotia’s justice minister indicated he would be calling for a review into how the Public Prosecution Service and police handled the case once the investigation had wrapped up.

More information is expected to be released on those plans at a news conference Monday.

“Now that that’s finished we’ll review what’s happened before and we’ll have an independent person do that,” says Ross Landry.

There is no word on how long the review will take.

The teens accused in the case have been scheduled to appear in youth court next Thursday.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Jackie Foster