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FARMINGTON — The principal at Farmington Junior High is asking parents for help.
"We've had a rash of images and videos shared on iPhones through AirDrop that are not school-appropriate," Principal Ben Hill said in a phone message to parents on Wednesday.
Hill told parents that the inappropriate content can be shared anonymously through Apple's AirDrop application, which transmits to other iPhones within 30 feet.
"Other students in the area become the unexpected recipient of the material they do not wish to view or have on their phone," Hill's message went on to say.
A spokesperson for the Davis School District said they want to spread the word about the issue before it gets worse.
"The images that I've heard about are just horrific, very violent," said Christopher Williams, the district's director of communications. "Kids don't need to see this. Adults don't need to see this."
The school district is asking parents to talk with their child and change the settings on their iPhones.
"This is apparently a TikTok challenge in which people are asked to show something violent on their phone and get someone's reaction as they're watching it," Williams said. "These images are nothing but horrific violence."
The more we can get the information out, the safer students and adults will be.
–Christopher Williams, Davis School District
The school's administration is investigating the sources of the inappropriate sharing, Hill said.
"If your child has an iPhone, please review it with them and either have AirDrop turned to contacts only or turn it off altogether," Hill said.
Parents said they were glad to get the warning from the principal.
"My son hadn't said anything, so I came home and talked to him: 'Hey, did you hear about this today? Did anything come through to your phone?' And luckily, nothing did," said Jenna Farnes, whose son is in the 7th grade. "But as a parent, I was like, 'OK, let's make sure your AirDrop settings are turned off.'"
"We could use your help in getting it stopped," Hill's recorded message said.
"The more we can get the information out, the safer students and adults will be," Williams said.
