Most parents sense that something has shifted in childhood over the past decade. The kids they’re raising are growing up in an environment that didn’t exist when their parents were raising them — one shaped by smartphones, social media, constant connectivity, and an information landscape that moves faster than anyone fully understands. The concerns are real and widely shared: anxiety, attention fragmentation, sleep disruption, social withdrawal, identity pressure, and a generation of children navigating developmental challenges that previous generations didn’t face in the same form.
What’s been missing is a space where parents, educators, clinicians, policymakers, and community members can come together to have that conversation seriously — with experts who work directly with children and families, and with the people who make decisions about how communities and schools respond.
The Childhood Reset Summit is that space.
What the Summit Is
The Childhood Reset Summit takes place on October 8, 2026, from 5:30 PM to 9:00 PM at the Huntington Hilton, 598 Broadhollow Road, Melville, NY. The event is free and open to the public. Registration is limited to 250 guests, and early registration is strongly encouraged.
The summit was created to bring families, professionals, educators, policymakers, and community leaders together around a shared goal: helping children thrive in an increasingly connected world. The conversation spans mental health and neuroscience, technology and child safety, public policy and advocacy, and the practical tools families can use to support healthier development at home and in schools.
Specific topics on the agenda include:
- Attention fragmentation and learning disruption
- School avoidance and social withdrawal
- Sleep disruption and compulsive phone use
- Social media, identity, and self-esteem
- Anxiety, depression, and emotional dysregulation
- ADHD, neurodiversity, and digital overstimulation
- Trauma-informed approaches for families
- Evidence-based intervention strategies
- Policy and community solutions
The event will also be available online after October 8 for those who are unable to attend in person. Registration for the online-only version is unlimited, but registration is still required.
Who Is Behind It
The Childhood Reset Summit was co-founded by Stacy Pellettieri, LCSW-R — founder of Long Island Counseling Services, Right Path Counseling, ADHD Training Center, and District Support Services — and Rebecca Sanin, Suffolk County Legislator representing District 16. The combination of clinical expertise and legislative reach reflects the summit’s core conviction: that addressing the mental health effects of technology on children requires both clinical understanding and community-level action.
The speaker and panelist lineup reflects that same breadth. Confirmed speakers include:
- Dr. Jeffrey L. Reynolds — President and CEO of Family and Children’s Association
- Monica R. Martinez — New York State Senator and Chair of the Senate’s Committee on Local Government
- David Schwed — Leading cybersecurity expert
- Errol D. Toulon Jr. — Sheriff of Suffolk County, New York
- Lars Clemensen — Superintendent of Schools, Adjunct Faculty at Stony Brook University, and Past President of the NYS Council of School Superintendents
- Michael Fink — District Support Services, Student Safety Alert
The range of voices — mental health professionals, law enforcement, elected officials, school administrators, and cybersecurity experts — reflects the reality that protecting children in the digital age isn’t a single-sector problem. It requires everyone.
Who Should Attend
The summit is designed for anyone with a stake in how children are developing in today’s environment. Parents and caregivers who want to understand what the research says about technology and child development, and leave with practical tools they can use at home. Educators who are managing the classroom effects of attention fragmentation and social media-driven conflict. Therapists and mental health professionals who work with children and adolescents and want to stay current on what families are navigating. Policymakers and community leaders interested in what effective advocacy and school-level solutions look like.
Registration is free. The event has capacity for 250 guests, and spots are going quickly.
To reserve your spot, visit childhoodreset.com and register through the site. If your organization is interested in partnering or sponsoring the event, information is available on the website as well.
Long Island Counseling is proud to be part of this initiative. The mental health effects of technology on children are among the most consistent concerns we hear from the families we work with — and the Childhood Reset Summit is a direct response to that. We hope to see you there.