Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (R) suggested during a discussion this week about school shootings that people look to children's access to smartphones as one of the root causes behind the violence.

"This is a very, very, very dangerous tool in the hands of young people, and I don't say that lightly or flippantly," Bevin said as he held a cellphone while delivering remarks Tuesday at an event organized by the Federal Commission on School Safety, the Courier Journal reported.

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The panel, established by President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE, is tasked with formulating recommendations on how to make U.S. schools safer following February's deadly school shooting in Parkland, Fla.

Bevin went on to say that kids are being treated with "psychotropic drugs" for illnesses caused by cellphones, and that the drugs "come with a severe list of warnings, not the least of which is ... suicidal thoughts, thoughts of self-harm and harm to others," according to the Louisville newspaper.

"As a nation, we want so quickly to find some solution ... but culturally, we are feeding this epidemic," he added.

Bevin also linked an increase in screen time to a generation of kids who, he said, are experiencing higher rates of depression and anxiety in conjunction with weakened impulse control.

His remarks follow an apology in April, when he suggested that children who remained at home during statewide teacher protests were exposed to sexual assault or poison.

“I guarantee you somewhere in Kentucky today a child was sexually assaulted that was left at home because there was nobody there to watch them," Bevin said at the time. "I guarantee you somewhere today, a child was physically harmed or ingested poison because they were home alone because a single parent didn't have enough money to take care of them."