JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Canva, a widely used classroom design platform best known for helping users build presentations, posters and social media-style graphics — is now at the center of the arrest of a former Jacksonville teacher.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office earlier this week arrested Jackson Jordan Hull, 25, a former teacher at River City Science Academy.
Hull faces a second-degree felony count of soliciting or engaging in a romantic relationship with a student and a third-degree felony count of unlawful use of a two-way communication device.
The case has raised questions for parents because, unlike many social media platforms, Canva is not typically viewed as a messaging app. It does not include a standard direct-message feature, but users can communicate by leaving comments on shared projects.
Investigators said they reviewed messages on Canva discussing plans to meet at a local park, describing Hull’s behavior as “grooming.”
“It concerns me for how much trust that student may then now have lost and the parents of that child, anyone who hears about the story, in our educators,” said Licensed Mental Health Counselor Steven Montesinos of MCS Counseling Center.
Montesinos said parents may feel an impulse to immediately clamp down on devices after hearing about incidents like this, but he urged a calmer, more collaborative approach.
He presented this example of a conversation that parents can use:
“’As your parent, I’m going to have ultimate say over the different rules we have around devices, but I want to work with you on this. What are some thoughts that you have about how we could keep you safe?’” Montesinos said.
Heather Finnegan said she’s used social media rules for both her children and grandchildren.
“We don’t do any screen time,” Finnegan said about her grandchildren. “I think it’s harder in the beginning.”
Others said their experiences growing up online shape how they plan to parent. Makayla Ray, 23, said the arrest hit close to home because she used Canva as a student.
“That’s just so messed up that you would go to those lengths to talk to a student,” Ray said.
Ray said she already plans to use monitoring tools when she has children.
“I shouldn’t have been exposed to that at such a young age,” she said.
The FBI recommends that families educate themselves about all the platforms children use, even those not designed as messaging apps.
You can adjust privacy settings on accounts and devices and report any inappropriate contact between a child and an adult to law enforcement.
Parents looking for additional oversight can also consider monitoring tools such as Bark, a parental control app that scans texts, email, social media and other online activity for potential danger, including cyberbullying, sexual content and predatory contact. The app can also help families manage screen time, block websites and track location.