BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) —In an interview with CBS 42 Thursday morning, Blount Co. District Attorney Pamela Casey expressed her concern for children and young adults who have unlimited access to phones. 

“We sometimes forget that children’s brains are not fully developed,” Casey said. “I tell parents, if you would not go out and drop your child off on the corner of the most dangerous street in the world … Don’t give them a phone without some type of security settings.”

Casey likened the dangers of uninhibited phone use to a firearm in the hands of a child. 

Casey’s statements follow an urgent health advisory issued from the U.S. Surgeon General earlier this week, calling for action from big tech companies and the U.S. Government. Casey expressed relief, saying that a surgeon general’s report typically precedes federal government research. 

When asked what steps parents could take, Casey said, “Have it so that your children will talk to you. That’s the most important.”

“For years we’ve let these large companies, driven by money, control our children,” Casey said. “You don’t want to look back and wish you had done something.”