The Legal Aid Society slammed the NYPD’s practice of seizing the mobile devices of minors – often for months on end and ostensibly for evidentiary purposes – which they say disrupts their access to their support networks, as well as the court system and educational resources.

Lawyers who represent kids note that the pandemic worsened the fallout from phone seizures, but said indiscriminate confiscations were a problem long before the coronavirus crisis, as reported by THE CITY.

“This is not a pandemic issue . . . It’s not like it’s the first time that it’s been brought to their attention,” said Martin Feinman, Director of Juvenile Justice Training for The Legal Aid Society. “If anything, it’s heightened some of the concerns because it means that kids without their cell phones are at greater risk than they were before the pandemic,” he added.